Van inzicht naar impact: dierproeven en proefdiervrije innovatie in de praktijk

2019 FELASA Presentation - Background Document This document was meant as a background report for the Beyond Animal Testing Index presentation at the 2019 Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA) congress. It outlines both the need for and the basic concept of the Beyond Animal Testing Index, including its vision, mission and goals. Additionally, a draft version is presented, listing Index-related topics subdivided into 5 Technical Areas. Each Area has its own Themes. Abstract The Beyond Animal Testing Index is a project currently conducted by Cyrille Krul, Jan-Bas Prins, Debby Weijers, Annick de Moor and Koen Stegmeijer. It is a benchmark aimed at evaluating the policy, transparancy and actions of public research organisations regarding innovation in biomedical research resulting in improved scientific and biomedical research and maximal reduction of animal testing. Animal testing is a topic high on the political agenda. The Netherlands strives to become frontrunner in the international ‘Transition to Animal Free Innovations’. Public research organisations, including universities and research institutes for applied scientific science, are in a position to considerably influence and contribute to this transition. During the first quarter of 2019, stakeholder consultations were held over the course of several weeks. The aim of these discussions was to assess wheter the Beyond Animal Testing Index could have added value in the transition to animal free innovation and to find relevant topics to include in the Index. The Framework is constructed along five Technical Areas, which are (A) General Management and Stakeholder Engagement, (B) Research and Development, (C) Capacity Building, (D) Investments and Grants, and (E) Intellectual Property Management. Each Technical Area is assessed along three Strategic Pillars, namely (I) Commitments, (II) Transparency and (III) Performance. Organisation efforts in each Technical Area are measured through Indicators, each related in turn to one of the four Strategic Pillars. The Index is a relative ranking, where organisations are compared with each other rather than against an absolute, ideal state. At this moment, relevant Indicators are still under review and are therefore not included in this document. In the current phase of the Beyond Animal Testing Index, we will be presenting the Index at the 2019 FELASA congress in Prague. We hope to gain international support for our initiative. We are always looking for ways to improve our Index in any way possible. We therefore invite you to provide us with feedback and new insights.