IC-3Rs News

In November, IC-3Rs was invited by TADA to whisk more than 30 curious kids into the world of the 3Rs! Together, we put on our lab coats and gloves for a hands-on experiment and discovered how fun alternative methods can be. Watching the children’s eyes lighting up during the workshop is always the most rewarding part of the day — who knows, maybe a future NAM scientist was sitting in the room, already dreaming big. Let’s keep sparking bright minds and shaping the 3Rs future together!

At WC13 in Brasil, IC‑3Rs was well represented: we presented more than three posters during the poster sessions. The central theme of WC13, “3Rs Integrating 3 Worlds: Human, Animal and Environmental Health”, eloquently underlined a vision for the coming decade: doing research guided by the principle of One Health, ensuring safety both for humans, animals and the environment. A major highlight of the congress was the emphasis on bringing together traditional animal-research communities and researchers working with NAMs. This gathering underscored the importance of creating a shared scientific language that bridges disciplines — a crucial step if we want to move research forward in a unified, coherent way. It was inspiring to learn what other 3Rs-centres — even those on the other side of the world — are doing, and to understand the different challenges they face. Such global exchange sparks new ideas and strengthens the worldwide 3Rs community. We believe our participation helped contribute to this growing international dialogue, and we look forward to connecting again soon — hopefully at the next WC13 meeting in Seoul.

Twelve New Approach Methodologies (NAM) information initiatives – together under the name NAMii – have joined forces to organise an inspiring webinar series. This webinar series, a joint effort by ZonMw (Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development) and RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), aims to highlight information initiatives related to NAMs. The focus will be on showcasing tools—including knowledge bases, search engines, and infrastructures—that can help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your NAM-based research. The series is scheduled to run from October 2025 to March 2026. Webinars will be held on Thursdays from 12:00 to 13:00 CET.

The EU COST Action IMPROVE consortium is establishing a database that contains experts on New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). NAMs include any technology or model – in vitro, in silico, in chemico, alternative in vivo models and other technologies such as omics – that does not rely on the use of animals. With the rapid increase in technological possibilities and the ensuing vast expanse in NAMs, it is increasingly hard to evaluate whether alternative methods for proposed animal experiments do exist or are indeed lacking.

As a recognized expert in NAMs, the COST Action IMPROVE invites you to register yourself in their database. Participating 3Rs Centres can have access to the database upon request. Experts who agree to be included in the database may be further contacted for collaboration/consultation/project evaluations (e.g. in the context of evaluating whether proposed animal testing is necessary and whether (no) alternatives (NAMs) exist). Inclusion in the database is entirely voluntary. 

During the MPS 2025 organised from 9 to 13 June 2025 in Brussels, the RE-Place team granted the RE-Place Best Poster Presentation award. The prize was open to PhD students and early career investigators presenting their research in the field of 3R replacement methodologies. Emma Streutker, a PhD student at the Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, was awarded the prize for her poster titled “A fibrosis-on-chip model to study Systemic Sclerosis.” Her work was recognized for its scientific excellence, impactful results, and the clarity of her presentation.