Appeal to federal and state ministries and authorities to eliminate legal uncertainties and reduce bureaucracy / “Science needs reliable framework conditions”

The DFG’s Permanent Senate Commission on Animal Research has issued a statement(externer Link) calling for a fundamental realignment of the authorisation procedures for projects including animal research. Such a realignment is necessary, it argues, in order to reconcile Germany’s rigorous standards of animal welfare in experimental research with the aim of promoting innovation and the competitiveness of the research system. The paper, which was originally published in German on 1 October and is now also available in English, states that reliable framework conditions are indispensable for scientists to fulfil both their societal research mandate and their particular responsibility regarding the use of animals for research purposes. 

Animal research is key to advancing the fundamental understanding of vital functions and diseases, and in driving medical progress. The authorisation procedures ensure that the rigorous standards of animal welfare enshrined in law are implemented in every research project, thereby performing an essential function in upholding the constitutional objective of animal protection. However, these procedures have become increasingly burdened by bureaucracy and are often marked by a lack of legal clarity and reliability. This has serious adverse effects on the progress of research projects.

For this reason, the Senate Commission is calling on the competent ministries and authorities at both federal and state level to take measures to accelerate and harmonise authorisation procedures, reduce bureaucratic requirements and eliminate legal uncertainties. 

“The authorisation procedures as currently implemented are a particularly striking example of excessive bureaucracy and overregulation,” said Professor Dr. Brigitte Vollmar, Chair of the Senate Commission. “As researchers, we are fully committed to the rigorous standards of animal welfare in Germany. At the same time, we need appropriate framework conditions in order to be able to conduct our research. Only then can we fully tap into the innovative potential our country has to offer.” 

The Commission’s statement is based on round-table discussions with researchers and animal welfare officers, and it also draws on extensive data collection carried out in a pilot study(externer Link), which has also now been published. The pilot study identifies three major areas of concern: the duration of the procedures, the constantly increasing load of administrative requirements and the considerable differences in practice between the various authorities. On this basis, the statement sets out specific recommendations for action, focusing on reducing administrative efforts, harmonising procedures nationwide, and ensuring strict compliance with the statutory processing deadlines. The round-table discussions in particular revealed that current administrative practice is widely perceived as a major hindrance to research. Researchers see the strength and innovative capacity of the German research system as being at risk – and in some cases feel personally threatened by the prospect of prosecution. 

Not least given the findings of the pilot study, DFG President Professor Katja Becker likewise stressed the urgent need to improve the framework conditions for animal research: “When the Animal Welfare Act was amended in 2021 in response to infringement proceedings initiated by the EU, this was also done on the understanding that procedures would be harmonised and competitive conditions aligned in accordance with the EU Directive. Yet the results of the pilot study show that if anything, the situation for researchers has worsened since then. I therefore welcome the fact that the coalition agreement already addresses the framework conditions for animal research and believe that the Senate Commission’s statement will provide important contributions to the forthcoming discussions and debate.”

Further Information

To the statement Animal Research Authorisation Procedures – Where Things Stand and What Needs to Change(externer Link) issued by the Permanent Senate Commission on Animal Research

To the Pilot Study on the Practice of Animal Research Authorisation Procedures in Germany – A Critical Analysis(externer Link), Valeska M. Stephan and the Permanent Senate Commission on Animal Research 

Further information on the Permanent Senate Commission on Animal Research(interner Link)