Research and procedures involving animals

We are committed to meeting or exceeding all external ethical and regulatory requirements for research involving animals.

Rats housed in our animal facility, which operates to the highest standards of animal care and welfare. All research is only performed after animal welfare and ethical review has taken place.

Animal research at the University of Sussex

We are a signatory to the Concordat on Openness in Animal Research, which aims to help the public understand how and why animals are used on its behalf in scientific, medical and veterinary research in the UK.

Research using animals has made, and continues to make, a vital contribution to the understanding, treatment and cure of major human health problems; including cancer, heart disease, polio, diabetes and neurological diseases and disorders.

While new methods have enabled scientists and medical researchers to reduce studies involving animals, some work must continue for further fundamental advances to be made, but only after weighing the potential benefits of the research against the effects on the animals concerned.

The University's position is set out below:

In the UK, research and teaching activities involving animals considered to be sentient and protected are governed by a range of legislation, including the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, 1986. Compliance of research involving these species is monitored by the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB) and by the Home Office through its inspectors. In addition, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) regularly perform audits on our facilities and potential unannounced inspections.
In addition to research performed on animals under the auspices of A(SP)A, we also perform ethical review on non-regulated teaching and research activities (non-A(SP)A).
Ethical review at the University is performed by the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body with representatives from the research community, lay persons, the Named Veterinary Surgeon (NVS), Named Animal Care and Welfare Officer (NACWO), and the Named Training and Competency Officer (NTCO).
At the University of Sussex, we are committed to the highest standards of animal welfare and the principles of the 3R’s: Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement, to continually seek new approaches to improve research methods. These are:
- Replace the use of animals with alternative techniques or avoid the use of animals altogether.
- Reduce the number of animals used to a minimum, to obtain information from fewer animals or more information from the same number of animals
- Refine the way experiments are carried out, to make sure animals suffer as little as possible. This includes better housing and improvements to procedures which minimise pain and suffering an/or improve animal welfare.

Animal statistics

The University of Sussex’s statistics on the use of animals in research are returned annually to the Home Office, and are laid out in the tables below.

Home Office Return of Procedures by Species
	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Mice	6912	6551	7715	5041	4717
Rats	705	84	190	108	72
Fish	11911	9380	11486	10550	9984
Frogs			12	25	197
Other			23	98	0
Totals	19528	16015	19426	15822	14970

Home Office Return of Procedures by Species %
Species	Numbers used (%)
	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Mice	35.4	40.9	39.7	31.9	31.5
Zebrafish	61.0	58.6	59.1	66.7	66.7
Rats	3.6	0.5	1.00	0.7	0.5
Frogs			0.1	0.2	1.3
Other			0.1	0.6	0
Total	100	100	100	99.97	100

Home Office Return of Procedures by Severity
	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Sub Threshold	6157	4374	6349	5433	5078
Mild	7872	9301	9271	4311	3366
Moderate	651	475	1408	1224	2663
Severe	315	205	398	267	248
Non-recovery	4533	1660	2000	4587	3615
Totals	19528	16015	19426	15822	14970

The University's Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body review process

The University's AWERB review process involves lay representation (including a representative from an animal welfare organisation) and other members both external and internal to the University. It provides ethical advice on standards of animal care, welfare and accommodation and ensures that those working with animals are aware of their responsibilities and receive appropriate training. Veterinary and animal care staff are actively involved in the ethical review of research, welfare and care of animals and provide ongoing advice and support to researchers where appropriate.
In the case of animal research proposals, which are not covered by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, the Principle Investigator, or Supervisor (in the case of student projects) is still required to apply for approval through the University's review process.