January, 8th 2024 – Vancouver, B.C.
The BC Foundation for Non-Animal Research (BC FNAR), a registered B.C. charity, is excited to announce that its 2024 non-animal research grant is now open for application.
Founded in 1970, the BC FNAR provides grants to students and emerging and established scientists for biomedical research or education and training which do not involve harmful animal use.
Applicants who demonstrate a commitment to non-animal methods (NAMs) in their work can apply for up to $10,000 in funding, with the opportunity for greater funding in exceptional cases.
President of the BC FNAR, Jordan Reichert, said that the foundation is proud to support the future of research and innovation in the biosciences, and those committed to the development and implementation of NAMs.
“Non-animal methods are a necessary seismic shift taking place in the biosciences today that is essential to social progress and how we treat human illness. Because funding for non-animal methods is still lacking from public sources, BC FNAR supports students and researchers in this burgeoning field to ensure science keeps moving forward.”
Over the years, the BC FNAR grants have funded the purchase of equipment for laboratories doing non-animal cancer research, multi-year funding for a course at the University of British Columbia on New Approach Methods in Biomedical Science, and the development of a 3D-bioprinted human “lung in a dish” at the Canadian Centre for Animal Alternatives.
According to Humane Society International, over 100 million animals are used in scientific research globally each year. However, research has shown that 95% of drugs which pass animal trials fail in humans. There is also a rising ethical concern over the use of animals in sciences, especially with increasing availability of humane and superior alternatives.
Animal research in Canada is overseen in publicly funded institutions by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), a non-governmental agency, that is funded, in part, by fees from the institutions they certify. Private research facilities are not required to report to, or to be certified by, the CCAC. In 2022, 3,521,143 animals were used for research, teaching, and testing in publicly funded institutions in Canada.
“Non-animal research is not only the future; it is the past that should have been. I cannot imagine how much further ahead we would be today scientifically if we hadn’t been using mice as models for man for the past century.”
Applications for funding opened January 1st and can be found on the BC FNAR website at www.bcfnar.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Jordan Reichert
President, BC FNAR
Victoria, B.C.
250-216-0562
