About Norecopa

Norecopa is Norway's National Consensus Platform for the advancement of "the 3 Rs" (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) in connection with animal experiments. We receive core funding for the Secretary and running costs from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, via the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, but we are an independent member organisation. Norecopa was founded on 10 October 2007.
Norecopa has currently only one employee (the secretary, Adrian Smith, working full-time). His work is overseen by the Board which consists of 4 members (each with personal deputies) representing the 4 stakeholders in animal research:

• Government and regulators
• Industry
• Research and teaching
• Animal protection and welfare

Some of Norecopa's projects are carried out by external collaborators who are hired on an hourly basis.
Norecopa's highest organ is its Annual General Meeting, where members approve the activities of Norecopa. These meetings are, in accordance with Norecopa's statutes, held before 15 June each year. Both institutions and private persons can become members of Norecopa. The majority of Norwegian research organisations are members.

Would you or your institution like to support Norecopa, with a one-off gift or regular payment, or be a member of the platform?  Please contact Adrian Smith for more information.

Norecopa's slogan is:

PREPARE for better Science

whether this science involves animal use or not. In some cases good science will involve animal use, in others there will be alternatives - all in accordance with the 3R and 3S concepts, and the aims of EU Directive 2010/63.
We believe that this is a win-win situation for both the animals and science: better welfare and more reliable research results.

Norecopa has an Activity Plan, with the following aims:

1. to contribute to increased knowledge of
   • Replacement of animal experiments by alternatives
   • Reduction of the number of animals used in experiments
   • Refinement of animal experiments by reducing suffering and increasing animal welfare, thereby also increasing the scientific value of the results
2.  to function as a national centre of competence and to strive for consensus between the 4 stakeholders
3. to spread information via relevant media, meetings and the like
4. to maintain its own knowledge base about the 3Rs and to make this accessible for everyone

References

• Harrison C (2024): 3R centers tap into the human mindset to bolster replacement, reduction and refinement uptake. Lab Animal 53, 166–169. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41684-024-01396-1
• Neuhaus W et al. (2022): The Current Status and Work of Three Rs Centres and Platforms in Europe. Alternatives to Laboratory Animals, 50(6):381-413. doi:10.1177/02611929221140909
• Neuhaus W et al. (2022): The Rise of Three Rs Centres and Platforms in Europe. Alternatives to Laboratory Animals. 2022;50(2):90-120. doi:10.1177/02611929221099165
• Neuhaus W (2021): Consensus Statement from the European Network 3R Centres (EU3Rnet). ALTEX - Alternatives to animal experimentation, 38(1), pp. 138–139. doi: 10.14573/altex.2010061.
• Bergersen B & Smith AJ (2010): Konsensus om dyreforsøk - Norecopas rolle (in Norwegian). Norsk veterinærtidsskrift, 122 (5), 313-317.
• Smith A (2024): Veien til konsensus om dyreforsøk - på tide å snakke om elefanten i rommet? (in Norwegian). Norsk veterinærtidsskrift, 136 (3), 144-147.

Norecopa is approved as a member of ecopa (European Consensus-Platform for Alternatives), hence the name.
ecopa was founded following an initiative at the 3rd World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in Bologna in 1999, and supports National Consensus Platforms for the 3Rs which have representatives of all 4 stakeholders in their governing bodies.
A list of the countries with platforms approved by ecopa can be viewed here.

Norecopa maintains the norecopa.no website of global 3R-resources. The website currently consists of approx. 10,000 pages and has approx. 300,000 page visits a year. It includes a Refinement Wiki and the PREPARE guidelines for planning animal research and testing. Norecopa maintains an International Meetings Calendar, a newsfeed of European media articles about research animal science, and issues an electronic newsletter 7-8 times a year.  Norecopa also managed a discussion forum for those responsible for the country's animal facilities until the Spring of 2024 when it was shut down because of lack of interest.
Norecopa frequently arranges meetings about the use of animals in research, to advance the 3 Rs.
Tip: click on the logo to return to the main page and menu wherever you are on the website.

A list of things you can do to assist the work of Norecopa (in Norwegian, designed primarily for Norway's animal facilities). In August 2009 the subscribers of Norecopa's newsletter were asked what they thought about Norecopa's work (in Norwegian).

Norecopa is working to gain political support for the establishment of a physical 3R Centre to increase its activity. This Report (in Norwegian) on the need for such a Centre was sent to the Ministry of Industry and Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food in October 2023. There are approx. 30 3R Centres in Europe: 

    *

*from Neuhaus et al. (2022)

A selection of information material (see this page for more)

• Norecopa has produced brochures describing its activities in English and in Norwegian. These and all other information materials may be downloaded and used freely.
• Norecopa: the first 10 years (2007-2017)
• Norecopa also has a large collection of films on Vimeo, including a 14-minute presentation of Norecopa at the 11th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences in Maastricht (a virtual meeting) in August 2021.
• Webinar describing Norecopa (55 mins) by Adrian Smith, 19 July 2021
• Poster about Norecopa: PREPARING for better Science
• A Path through the Jungle: Norecopas 3Rs Resources (Smith, May 2021)
• Guidelines for planning and conducting high-quality research and testing on animals (Smith, 2020). Also available in Persian (Farsi) (translation by Anahita Alizadeh, Maryam Kiani & Saeed Shafiei Sabet).
• A flyer about Norecopa (March 2019)
• A press release about the new website (3 June 2016)
• A poster about the new website (September 2016)
• A poster about Norecopa (September 2016)

This website builds upon resources which were collected by the Laboratory Animal Unit of the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science from 1991-2011.

Disclaimer:
The development of the content on this website has taken place since 1991 and has been partially funded by a large number of sponsors, to whom we are very grateful. These sponsors have in no way influenced the content or quality of the material on the website. Our aim has been to provide selected material (peer-reviewed where available) of high quality which can help to advance the Three Rs.

We hope you find the site useful. We would like to hear from you, regardless of your opinion. Please also contact us if you discover dead links, or resources which you consider deserve a mention on this website.

Financial details
Bank account: 7694 05 12030 (IBAN: NO51 7694 0512 030)
Account Name: Veterinærinstituttet (Norwegian Veterinary Institute)
Address of account holder: Postboks 64, 1431 Ås, Norway
Name of bank: DNB (Den norske Bank)
Full address of bank: Postboks 1600 Sentrum, 0021 Oslo, Norway
Currency of Account: NOK
SWIFT/BIC (Bank Identifier Code): DNBANOKKXXX
Payment must be marked "12025 Norecopa"

Collaboration
Some of the early material on this website was produced in collaboration with:

• The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Oslo (now part of NMBU, Ås) - in particular the collection of educational material for handling and procedures
• The Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) at the National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, Maryland, USA (in particular the 3R Guide database and bibliographic records from the NAL library)