Launch of the information initiative „Tierversuche verstehen”
With a new initiative on science, scientists in Germany want to provide comprehensive and transparent information on animal in research. On Tuesday, September 6, 2016, the Alliance of the Scientific Organizations presented their joint project "Tierversuche verstehen" in Berlin. The initiative offers a wide range of information material, experts and enables interactive discussions on an internet platform and via social media. The initiative, aimed at the public and the media was founded in close cooperation with scientists and communication specialists and is seen as a further contribution of science to the objectification of the discussion on the necessities, benefits and alternatives of animal research.
"We regard it as our social responsibility not only to promote biomedical research but also to communicate it," said Jörg Hacker at the introduction of the initiative Science Forum in Berlin. Hacker underlines the demand and the willingness of science to inform on controversial and often emotionally discussed topics such as the use of animals in research and to provide more transparency. "In the past, we have repeatedly observed that established positions on animal experiments dissolve prejudices when we engage in an active dialogue with the public and the media," Hacker said. "We now aim at doing this more intensively."
The new initiative would "take concerns and questions about animal experiments seriously and provide the basis for the different target groups to deal with the topic on the basis of solid and comprehensive information," stressed Stefan Treue, the representative of the Leibniz Association initiative for questions on animal welfare. Animal studies, especially in many areas of basic research are still indispensable since complex processes can only be depicted with the help of organism. This is precisely why they are the initial point for outstanding scientific knowledge as well as for advances in medical care and improvements in the quality of life for humans. "The vaccine against polio is based on studies that were carried out for half a century. Aids was associated with a life expectancy of one year in the 1980s, and today the immunodeficiency is a treatable chronic disease," Treue stated as two examples of the successes of animal research. Currently the fight against the Zika virus shows the necessity for such research. However, it is important to keep the implementation of laboratory animals to a minimum. The development of supplementary and alternative methods has therefore become a major scientific issue.
The initiative is now ready to provide information on these and numerous other aspects on a specially designed internet platform. At www.tierversuche-verstehen.de you will find news, background texts, reports, films, info graphics, interviews and photos on animal research. Furthermore, the platform offers info and other sources for the general public, teachers and students as well as for the media and others who are interested. In addition, the platform provides a discussion forum as well as an expert database, which serves as a contact for journalists as well as speakers for schools and institutions for further education. The initiative is also active on social media, with video clips on Youtube as well as with daily news about @TVVde on Twitter. Starting later this year, "Tierversuche verstehen" will present themselves at public events and will also be available for discussions.
The initiative, which has now been presented in Berlin, has formed over the past months through close cooperation between scientists and specialists from the communications industry. The responsibility for their work and their content lies within a steering group in which scientists and communication experts from the scientific organizations of the Alliance are represented. The project was implemented and is operated by a communications agency in Münster that cooperates with scientific advisors.
The activities of the initiative are set for the next five years. The financial resources are provided by the organizations of the alliance - the German Research Association (DFG), the Max Planck Society, the Helmholtz Association, the Leibniz Association and the Fraunhofer Society - that are also closely involved in animal research. The DFG is responsible for the funding of the scientific advisers, while the resources for the initiative are shared by the other four organizations on a pro rata basis. The work of the initiative is to be evaluated on an ongoing basis. An overall assessment is planned for the third year, whereupon a possible continuation will be decided.
Further information on the information initiative ”Tierversuche verstehen” the Alliance of Science Organizations
The platform of the initiative with all content and materials is available online: www.tierversuche-verstehen.de
The latest information is available on Twitter at @TVVde
The Alliance of the Scientific Organizations deals with questions on science policy, promote research and the structural further development of the German science system. Members of the Alliance are the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Fraunhofer Society, the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, the University Rectors' Conference, the Leibniz Association, Max Planck Association, The National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Science Council. The Leopoldina will be in charge of the Alliance in 2016.