FOI2022/00008: Funding for research involving live animals
Case reference FOI2022/00008
Published 3 May 2022
Request
Request Received: 12 January 2022
I note that you advance in the region of £800 million annually in research grants and career awards.
(1) For 2019 and 2020 could you please advise the total amount granted for research involving, the use of live animals, licenced under ASPA 1986. For the same years, could you please, let me know, the amounts granted to develop human relevant research which would reduce/replace the use of animals.
(2) For MRC-funded research grants involving (in full or part) the less commonly used species of dogs for 2019 and 2020 could you please let me know the amount of grants awarded.
(3) For 2019 and 2020 please can you advise the number of dogs used or the number of procedures they were subjected to. If you do not have figures for establishments not owned by MRC, please can I have just the figures for MRC owned establishments. Finally for MRC owned establishments how many dogs were rehomed after use.
(4) Can I please have a list of MRC owned establishments that are licenced under ASPA 1986. Alternatively please confirm they are all listed under M on this link https://mrc.ukri.org/about/institutes-units-centres/list-ofinstitutes-units-centres/
Please also advise is there just one establishments licence for the MRC or does each unit have a separate licence?
(5) Can you please advise the source of funding for the grants. If Government/Treasury is this set aside solely from taxpayers money?
(6) In terms of advancing grants for research involving the use of live animals is this exclusive to non-profit making organisations?.
(7) Regarding research involving the use of live animals does your department do their own harm/benefit analysis and confirm that there is no alternative to the use of live animals and in respect of specially protected animals do you confirm that no other species can be used. In this regard do your staff who approve grants have specialised knowledge of human relevant, non animal use research.
(8) https://gtr.ukri.org A search on all data and the funder MRC lists 43,033 active and 83,418 closed projects. It would be helpful for transparency and openness if there could be a separate category to search projects licenced to use live animals under ASPA 1986. I would appreciate if you would give this consideration.
My apologies for the length of this request. With the exception of points (1) - (3) which might require some time collating figures (although they should be readily available from annual reports to the Home Office), the other points should take very little time to answer.
Response
Response Sent: 2 February 2022
Full details of this response are provided in the attached document.
Documents
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