At the end of August, the application deadline for the Berlin Research Prize 2021 "Alternatives to Animal Testing" of the State Office for Health and Social Affairs had just passed. In a two-year cycle, researchers who conduct research on "alternatives" in the sense of replace - reduce - refine of animal experiments (principle of Russell & Burch from 1959) can apply here. This means that procedures that can only contribute to a refinement of animal experiments could also be considered.

The two prizes that have now will be awarded are different, because the animal welfare commissioner explicitly wants to support animal-free research. There is a young scientist award and a follow-up award.

Young scientists can apply for the young scientist award if they are aiming for a promising research project that does not involve animals. This can be using human-based organoids, multifluidic systems, human induced pluripotent stem cells, or for example in silico methods.  Applications are invited from young international scientists in order to reach a broader community, according to animal welfare officials.

The follow-on grant is to be awarded to continue funding a research project already successfully underway in the area of animal-free, human-based research. Both prizes are endowed with 30,000 € each and are awarded by an independent jury of scientists with many years of experience in the field of alternative research on the basis of defined selection criteria.

The award winners will be announced in mid-November 2021, and the awards ceremony will take place during the Berlin Animal Welfare Day on Saturday, November 27, 2021.

Source:
https://www.berlin.de/lb/tierschutz/preisauslobung/artikel.1121707.php