The 3 R

The right to freedom of research and animal protection are anchored in the German constitution and are highly relevant to the concerns of animal experimental research. An ethnic justification for the use of animals for scientific purposes is only given if animal experiments are indispensable and the expected scientific gain in knowledge justifies the stress on the animals in the experiment.

3 R stands for Replacement, Reduction and Refinement. The essential guiding principle in animal experimental research is: "Animal experiments may only be carried out if no other suitable methods are available to elucidate the scientific question and the number and burden of the animals used are limited to the indispensable level" (DFG, 2019). Baden-Württemberg is one of the most important biomedical research locations in the Federal Republic of Germany. The funding initiative "Promotion of activities to avoid, reduce and improve (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement - 3R) animal experiments" aims to establish a comprehensive 3R network https://www.the3rs.unituebingen.de/netzwerk/ that is unique in Germany.

All major biomedical sites in the country will be involved in order to advance scientific research and animal welfare in equal measure and thus actively and sustainably reduce the number of animal experiments in research and teaching (NMI, n.d.). In addition to the five centers Tübingen/Reutlingen, University of Heidelberg, University of Stuttgart, Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim and the Robert Bosch Hospital of the University of Constance, which form the basic framework of the 3R Network Baden-Württemberg, further research projects are funded, such as "Overcoming translational hurdles" in Freiburg (Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts BadenWürttemberg, 2021).