Guidelines for the use of animals in research and teaching

Psychiatric research at the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) also involves experiments on and with animals. Despite the constant development of alternative methods, it will not be possible to completely replace animal experiments in the foreseeable future, especially in basic psychiatric research. We have drawn up guidelines for research with or on animals that apply to all employees of the CIMH.

Our experiments are essential. 

We are aware that in some cases the necessary knowledge and insights can only be gained through animal experiments. At the CIMH, animal welfare and scientific knowledge are weighed up in each individual case. We adhere strictly to legal and ethical standards. The 3R principle (Replace, Reduce, Refine - avoid, reduce, improve) plays an important role for us. Both before and during the tests, we constantly check whether alternative methods without the use of animals are available. By carefully planning the number of animals using statistical methods, we only use as many animals for our experiments as are necessary to generate robust data. In line with the principle: as many animals as necessary, but as few as possible.

We are responsible for our animals. 

We demand personal commitment and independent action from every single person who interacts with our animals in order to ensure the continued improvement of our animals' well-being and health.

Our responsibility goes beyond the animals. 

We expect people to take responsibility for themselves and towards others. Everyone is invited to proactively raise concerns at any time, point out shortcomings and make suggestions for improvement - even anonymously - without being penalised (culture of care). We also expect constant self-monitoring and the endeavour to take responsibility for taking measures to continuously improve the working environment.

We practise open and transparent communication. 

We want to speak honestly, transparently and directly about animal experiments - both internally and externally. The CIMH is a member of the Transparent Animal Testing Initiative (Initiative Transparente Tierversuche). We value an open culture of error. Everyone should have the courage to speak openly about their concerns so that others can also benefit from them.

We want our communication to be respectful and direct. 

We want to talk to each other honestly and politely, engage in dialogue and are open to constructive discussions. We attach great importance to listening and respect.

Qualified animal husbandry is important to us. 

We adhere to the legal requirements for animal husbandry and aim to exceed them. Our animals are cared for by qualified and experienced specialists who are constantly undergoing further training. Suffering, pain and discomfort of the animals should be avoided or at least minimised. Our animals are continuously monitored by veterinarians, live under strict hygiene standards and in a controlled indoor climate.

We live a collaborative culture of care and respect. 

The aim is to maintain the satisfaction of all those involved in animal experiments through constructive communication and mutual understanding, thereby also contributing to the welfare of the laboratory animals. Satisfied employees are particularly motivated to continuously improve animal care and scientific methods.

We are committed to adhering to the established standards of science. 

We adhere to the Code of Scientific Integrity and in this way also ensure that our ethically justified and essential experiments contribute effectively to the advancement of knowledge. We pay attention to strict honesty, transparent and complete documentation, the promotion of critical discourse and the communication of these principles in teaching.