The Universidad Complutense is committed to transparency in animal research
The center has become the first Spanish institution to join the European Association for Animal Research (EARA) and will create a website in which it will offer maximum transparency on the practices that are carried out with animals.
The Universidad Complutense de Madrid, in search of a better treatment of animals in its use in research, has become the first Spanish institution to join the European Association for Animal Research (EARA).
"Animal research has positioned itself as one of the most effective methods in the search for treatments against various diseases, however, the use of them is usually not transparent," said the center.
In this context, the Universidad Complutense has signed, together with other eighty Spanish institutions, the transparency agreement on the use of animals in scientific experimentation in Spain, promoted by the COSCE (Confederation of Scientific Societies of Spain) and, with the advice of EARA, will create a website in which it will offer maximum transparency on the practices that are carried out with animals at the university.
The objective of the document is to share information and communicate in a transparent way the research with animals, so that the public knows why this method is important for the scientific advance of society.
This has been explained by Ignacio Lizasoain, Vice Chancellor for Scientific Policy, Research and Doctorate of the UCM; Emma Martínez, Director of International Relations at EARA; Arturo Anadón and Pilar Bringas, director and technical director of CAI Animalario of the UCM in the act of presentation of this new agreement.
The spokesperson of EARA has highlighted the importance of communication in research with animals, a field that, in his opinion, has deficiencies in Spanish institutions. EARA proposes that the UCM create a Communications Committee on Animal Research, whose objective would be to support the work of researchers in this field through good communication.
"EARA will advise us to create a website where we will have maximum transparency about what we do with the animals in the university", explained Ignacio Lizasoain, while Anadón and Bringas agreed that the time has come to take the initiative in favor transparency to justify the number of animals used in the investigation.
