Adding RRI to the 3Rs: What Could Responsible Research and Innovation Offer Animal Research Governance

Abstract

This article makes the case for incorporating dimensions of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) into the 3Rs principles (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) and the governance of animal research. Experimentation on animals is a high stakes and contested arena that illustrates the potential divisiveness science and technology activities can generate. The 3Rs are an intrinsic aspect of animal research governance which help to reassure regulators and civil society that apposite scientific and welfare decision-making are being made. However, the application of the 3Rs is an opaque process, and there are almost no deliberative opportunities for the public, outside lay representation on ethics committees. With the advent of the Responsible Research and Innovation agenda, and its gradual embedding in research policy and practice, there might be an opportunity to open up animal research governance in a new way. This paper presents propositions for more reflexive and inclusive elements to be incorporated into the application of the 3Rs, in order to move towards more collective responsibility around animal laboratory research.