Human Resource Development for External Verification

There is no doubt that the results of medical and life science research have contributed greatly to the stability of people’s lives. Animal experimentations also play an important role in this. On the other hand, it is also essential for animal experimentations to be conducted appropriately based on social consensus without failing to take animal welfare into consideration. For this reason, the “Basic Guidelines for the Conduct of Animal Experiments, etc.” established by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) etc. requires research institutions to ensure social transparency through external verification of animal experiments. Since 2016, the NBRB has been implementing a program to strengthen and promote the external verification system for animal experiments, and has worked to significantly reinforce the verification system and increase the rate of external verification implementation.

In the second phase of the project, “Fostering and Utilizing Human Resources to Promote External Validation,” which started in 2021, we will continue to make efforts to ensure the appropriateness of animal experiments conducted in Japan.　In this project, we will support the implementation system of external validation by continuing to maintain the number of validation specialists trained in the first phase of the project, improve and standardize their quality. We will also strive to raise awareness by holding steady and continuous briefing sessions for research institutions that plan to undergo external validation.

In the second phase of the project, we will expand the scope of education and awareness to include parties involved in animal experiments in Japan. By doing so, we aim to improve the understanding of a wide range of people, including clerks and technicians at institutions involved in animal experiments, and to focus our efforts on the optimization of the animal experiment implementation system. The improvement of the environment for conducting animal experiments, including the appropriate use of animal resources for research, is an important point that will support the future of Japan, which claims to be a science-oriented country. By spreading the education widely and meticulously to the personnel involved in animal experiments and sharing the correct information, we believe that it is very significant to create an environment where appropriate animal experiments can be conducted at each site that supports the institutional management system, thereby fostering social understanding and trust. In order to communicate the appropriateness of the institutional management system of animal experimentations to the public and to deepen common understanding, we will play a role in supporting and enhancing the external validation system through this project.