Erwin Roggen (Board member since 2013)

"My 3R vision has always been to drive the application and acceptance (in industry and authorities alike) of testing methods and strategies that help safeguard health and safety without using animals. The increasing quality of applications for 3R research funding over the years, including animal-free methods, suggests that the Danish 3R-Center has made a positive difference.

The 3R-Center has also been successful in driving knowledge gathering and sharing, sharing experiences and establishing best 3R practices, communications, teaching/training and facilitation. However, there is still a long way before these methods become common and the first-line choice.

As targets for the 3R-Center’s future work, I consider it important to aim to establish a mindset in the laboratory-animal environment where exploring animal-free methods is the first choice when testing, developing and marketing new products and only when such methods do not provide the solution move on to considering animal models. As most academic research groups, but also small biotech companies, might find it expensive and financially difficult to achieve the ambition of establishing animal-free development environments, I believe that the future board should give highest priority to establishing such environments.

Contact: 3RsMC.eu(at)gmail.com