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Education and training are fundamental to boosting the uptake of alternative methods and the application of the Three Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of animal use) in science.

In 2016, EURL ECVAM conducted a study to gain an overview of existing Three Rs knowledge, identifying the sources and how they are used and shared. It emerged that, although Three Rs courses and resources are abundant, there is a need to further complement and amplify current education and training opportunities, especially at secondary school level but also at the level of higher education.

Therefore, EURL ECVAM has been engaged in several education and training activities aiming at increasing the awareness of the Three Rs and alternative methods and approaches at the levels of secondary school, university and early professional training.

Educational resources

We have produced a set of teaching resources on various Three Rs related subjects. These resources are freely available:

  • A report: "Introducing the Three Rs into secondary schools, universities and continuing education programmes".
    The report describes how to incorporate Three Rs teaching into the curriculum of schools and universities and aims to reach decision-makers and influencers within education systems who contribute to educational policy-making at European, Member State or local level.
    Download the report here: Introducing the Three Rs into secondary schools, universities and continuing education programmes
  • A massive open online course (MOOC): "The Three Rs and Animal Use in Science Rerun". 13 September 2021 to 20 October 2022. It is tailored for life sciences teachers in secondary schools, and provides them with materials, support and tutorials to integrate the Three Rs in their own classrooms.
    Content from our MOOC is still available and can be accessed here: The Three Rs and Animal Use in Science
  • Learning scenarios for secondary schools and higher education They contain instructions and tools to deliver a lesson on the Three Rs. These learning scenarios can form a basis or inspiration for a lecture or provide a ready-to-use plan for a secondary school lesson or series of lessons.
  • Dowload the learning scenarios here: Three Rs Education and Training Learning Scenarios
  • A slide set and an accompanying storyboard
    Content that can be edited and re-purposed to support teachers in secondary school and higher education on two themes (more themes will be added):
    1) introduction and the scientific and social context
    2) the European Union and animals used for scientific purpose.
    Download
    2 FEBRUARY 2022
    Slide set
    English
    (7.88 MB - PPTX)
    Download

    and

    2 FEBRUARY 2022
    Storyboard
    English
    (2.16 MB - PDF)
    Download
  • A poster: "Animal free testing - medical science of the future".
    Dowload the poster and hang it on the wall.
    2 FEBRUARY 2022
    Poster Animal free testing
    English
    (147.1 KB - PDF)
    Download
  • E-learning modules
    These are two free, open access eModules developed in collaboration with Directorate-General for Environment and available on the Education and Training Platform for Laboratory Animal Science (ETPLAS) platform:
    1) EU-52: Searching for (existing) non-animal alternatives
    2) EU-60: Developing in vitro methods and approaches for scientific and regulatory use