An inventory of knowledge sources (KS) potentially relevant to the Three Rs used in the area of life sciences was compiled by the EU Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), based upon data from its survey in 2016 of 800 knowledge sources of relevance to the 3Rs.

Norecopa has integrated the inventory seamlessly into the Norecopa website and search engine. Click here to explore the inventory.

This work was partially funded by UFAW (Universities Federation for Animal Welfare), U.K.

Background

In response to the European Citizens' Initiative "Stop Vivisection", the European Commission published a Communication, in which Action 1 aimed to conduct an assessment of current technologies, information sources and networks from all relevant sectors with potential impact on the advancement of the refinement, reduction and replacement of animals used for scientific purposes (the "Three Rs"). The main objective of this study was to map knowledge sources relevant to the Three Rs, to examine how knowledge is being shared, and to identify possible gaps and opportunities to enhance knowledge sharing. The report shows that although much 3Rs knowledge exists, its sharing, particularly between sectors and communities can be improved through better coordination, communication and outreach, and by more emphasis on targeted education and training initiatives.

The inventory should be viewed as a snapshot of the current status of knowledge sources available, and as a starting point for further analysis of knowledge sharing strategies. The dataset and publications are available here. The dataset has also been published online by Edelweiss Connect.