By Anna Napolitano, 3Rs and Communications Programme Manager, CBS, Imperial College London
Imperial College London was among the first signatories of the Concordat on Openness in Animal Research in 2014. Since then, we have always strived to engage with as many people as possible about why and how we use animal models for research. Over the years, Imperial has led many initiatives to inform the public about our animal research and hosted several groups of people, including school students, within our facilities. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic, animal lab tours had not been on the priority list. After a few quiet years, we decided it was time for Imperial College London to welcome external people to our facilities again. When UAR offered the opportunity, the Central Biomedical Services –the animal care department at Imperial College London –opened the door of its animal units, offering tours to Concordat signatories from non-research organisations. We had four tours throughout 2024, showing the different groups our breeding and experimental facilities. Planning and organising the tours needed a bit of community effort, but it was a great chance to show how we care for our animals and why supporting animal models is still essential.
The tour involved several members of staff who shared their thoughts about the experience afterwards. Senior Animal Technologist Phil Rawson, who was involved in most of the tours, says about the experience; "I really enjoyed being able to educate and inform those that do not normally have access to this sort of facility. The first two groups were mainly communication officers for their establishments and seemed to enjoy the experience and hopefully took back a positive view of the industry with them. In the last tour there was a person with a disability. Although a challenge, it was nice to show our work to someone who would normally find it difficult to visit or work within our facilities. I believe they really appreciated this opportunity and they were very thankful."
Our staff didn't shy away from challenges and allowed visitors into the breeding unit, where barrier restrictions added a further level of organisational complexity. Our efforts were well-rewarded. "The visitors had little-to-no prior experience with animal facilities, which made the tours particularly engaging. They asked numerous relevant questions, demonstrating a keen interest in our work. Overall, these tours were a valuable opportunity to share our practices and enhance understanding of our facility's role in research," says Aleksandra Saroye, Senior Animal Technologist at the CBS breeding unit.
Though most of the visitors had little or no prior experience of animal facilities, we also engaged with people already working in the industry but wanted to learn more about our high standards of care. Alex Stepney, Facility Manager of two of our experimental units, explains: "Seeing one of our research facilities in its current transitional state was very valuable for some visitors planning refurbs in their own institutions. The visit was also a good networking opportunity. Overall, a very valuable experience."
Treasuring this experience, we look forward to hosting more tours in 2025.
All photos supplied by Imperial College London © Tomas Angus
Last edited: 3 February 2025 12:36