EU Commission launches improved database for non-technical summaries of animal experiments
We welcome the European Commission’s launch of an updated interactive database for non-technical summaries (NTS) of animal experiments.
We welcome the European Commission’s launch of an updated interactive database for non-technical summaries (NTS)of animal experiments. This improved database is an important step forward for transparency and public access to information on the use of animals in science across the EU.
A Non-Technical Summary is a legally required document which must be completed and made public before any animal testing project can be allowed to start. They help the public, policymakers and other non-specialist audiences understand what animal experiments are being approved, and the impact that they are expected to have on the animals involved.
The new dashboard includes many of the improvements that we have long called for, including those highlighted in our published analyses of NTS in the journal of Alternatives to Animal Experimentation, ALTEX (here and here). In particular, users can now filter NTS by species used, number of animals and severity. This makes it easier to identify projects involving certain species, such as dogs, cats and primates, where large numbers of animals are used, or procedures expected to cause severe suffering, all of which are priority areas for the development and implementation of non-animal approaches.
These new filters can also be combined with searches using multiple keywords, allowing for more sophisticated analysis of the data. For example, it is now possible to identify authorised projects involving different primate species across specific categories of basic research, or to see how animals, including cats and dogs, are used in severe procedures or in regulatory tests, and what those procedures involve. This makes it easier to identify meaningful patterns, set clearer priorities for reducing animal use, and access information about the realities animals face within authorised projects in the EU.
While these changes represent a welcome step forward in access and usability, we will continue to monitor whether increased visibility of NTS is accompanied by meaningful improvements in their quality and clarity.
We hope this approach will soon be mirrored globally, and with momentum already building in the UK on reducing animal use, and accelerating the transition to non-animal approaches, greater transparency can help support more effective oversight and focus efforts.
Our Deputy Director of Science and Regulatory Affairs, and co-author of the ALTEX papers on NTS, Dr Laura Alvarez, said: “By improving how non-technical summaries can be searched and analysed, the European Commission has taken a welcome step towards strengthening transparency around animal experiments in the EU. Better access to this information makes it easier to develop a clearer understanding of what is being authorised and what those procedures involve for the animals themselves, which is essential for informed scrutiny and continued progress towards replacing animal use.”