1. Replacement, Reduction and Refinement in
animal experimentation

2. More Knowledge with Fewer Animals
2011: Kick-off ZonMw grant
program MKMD
Program goals:
• Development of innovative 3R
methods
• Implementation of new and
existing 3R methods

3. More Knowledge with Fewer Animals
General program conditions:
• Multi-disciplinary research
• Collaboration between
relevant stakeholders
• Chain involvement
• Publication of all project
results, open access,
synthesis of evidence (SR)
• Implementation of results

4. More Knowledge with Fewer Animals
Program structure:
• Flexible, set up in modules
• Modules to be commissioned by
different parties
• First three modules have been
commissioned:
 Animal-Free Research
Techniques
 Amendement 21
 New Module: in development

5. Module Animal-Free Research Techniques
Focus on Replacement
• Research projects (3.3 M€)
 Cancer and other human
diseases
 Public-private partnerships
 Multi-disciplinary collaborations
• Follow-up ASAT2010 projects
(0.8M€)
• Implementation projects

6. Module Amendment 21 (2012-2014)
Focus on 3R knowledge infrastructure
• Publication of negative results
and stimulating the use of the
‘Gold Standard Publication
checklist’ (or ‘ARRIVE
guidelines’)
• Synthesis of Evidence in animal
experimentation (Systematic
Reviews)

7. Module Amendment 21
Publication of negative results involving animal studies
Target group: ZonMw project leaders
• Additional financial support to publish negative results
• Open access
• ‘Gold Standard Publication Checklist’/ARRIVE
Aim: more awareness of the importance of publishing
meaningful negative results (bias in literature, repetition of
experiments)
Call open September!

8. Module Amendment 21
Synthesis of evidence of animal experimentation
(Systematic Reviews)
Target group: researchers considering animal studies
(mandatory for MKMD project leaders)
• Synthesis of evidence (SR) workshops (about six)
• Continued support for workshop participants
• Additional training for a few workshop participants
Call open on invitation March 2012

9. Systematic Reviews obligatory within ZonMw
program:
Health Care Efficiency Research (HCER)

10. Health Care Efficiency Research (HCER)
Actively promotes research on recognition, assessment
and implementation of cost-effective interventions and
fosters generalisation of knowledge
• Clinical research in patients
• Structural programme (1999)

11. Why a systematic review?
To identify knowledge gap / added value of
proposed research
Systematic overview:
• what’s already known on (cost-)effectiveness of
intervention / implementationstrategy under study
• currently ongoing studies on similar subject
Optional: input for powercalculation (effectsize)

12. Quality item for reviewers
How do you judge the systematic review?
Consider:
• selection of search terms;
• all relevant databases included;
• selection of papers;
• do you miss any references relevant to this specific
proposal?
• are the conclusions of the systematic review justified?