title: Developing a Collaborative Agenda for Humanities and Social Scientific Research on Laboratory Animal Science and Welfare.
abstract: Improving laboratory animal science and welfare requires both new scientific research and insights from research in the humanities and social sciences. Whilst scientific research provides evidence to replace, reduce and refine procedures involving laboratory animals (the '3Rs'), work in the humanities and social sciences can help understand the social, economic and cultural processes that enhance or impede humane ways of knowing and working with laboratory animals. However, communication across these disciplinary perspectives is currently limited, and they design research programmes, generate results, engage users, and seek to influence policy in different ways. To facilitate dialogue and future research at this interface, we convened an interdisciplinary group of 45 life scientists, social scientists, humanities scholars, non-governmental organisations and policy-makers to generate a collaborative research agenda. This drew on methods employed by other agenda-setting exercises in science policy, using a collaborative and deliberative approach for the identification of research priorities. Participants were recruited from across the community, invited to submit research questions and vote on their priorities. They then met at an interactive workshop in the UK, discussed all 136 questions submitted, and collectively defined the 30 most important issues for the group. The output is a collaborative future agenda for research in the humanities and social sciences on laboratory animal science and welfare. The questions indicate a demand for new research in the humanities and social sciences to inform emerging discussions and priorities on the governance and practice of laboratory animal research, including on issues around: international harmonisation, openness and public engagement, 'cultures of care', harm-benefit analysis and the future of the 3Rs. The process outlined below underlines the value of interdisciplinary exchange for improving communication across different research cultures and identifies ways of enhancing the effectiveness of future research at the interface between the humanities, social sciences, science and science policy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gail F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: School of Geography and the Environment and Keble College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Beth J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Greenhough
authors.affiliation: Centre for Applied Bioethics, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Leicestershire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Pru
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hobson-West
authors.affiliation: Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM), Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Robert G W
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Kirk
authors.affiliation: Biological Services, Health Schools, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Applebee
authors.affiliation: Society of Biology, Charles Darwin House, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Laura C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Bellingan
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Services, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berdoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Buller
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Helen J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Cassaday
authors.affiliation: Joint Biological Services, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: Society of Biology, Charles Darwin House, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Diefenbacher
authors.affiliation: TIK - Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Tone
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Druglitrø
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Maria Paula
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Escobar
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, London School of Economics, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Friese
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hinterberger
authors.affiliation: Understanding Animal Research, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Wendy J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Jarrett
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Kimberley
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jayne
authors.affiliation: Biological Services Facility (BSF), Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Studies, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Elizabeth R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Animal Sciences Unit, Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge, Addlestone, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Timm
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Konold
authors.affiliation: School of Agriculture, Food & Rural Development, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Matthew C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Leach
authors.affiliation: Exeter Centre for the Study of the Life Sciences (Egenis) & Department of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leonelli
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: David I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: Research Animals Department, Science Group, RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, West Sussex, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Elliot J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Lilley
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Swindon, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Emma R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Longridge
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Leicestershire, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Carmen M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: McLeod
authors.affiliation: School of Planning and Geography, College of Art, Humanities and Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miele
authors.affiliation: Department of the History of Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America.
authors.forename: Nicole C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: UBC Animal Welfare Program, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Elisabeth H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Ormandy
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pallett
authors.affiliation: Faculteit of Law, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lonneke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Poort
authors.affiliation: School for Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Pandora
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pound
authors.affiliation: School of History, Queen Mary, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Edmund
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ramsden
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography and Environment, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roe
authors.affiliation: Honorary Research Associate, Geography Department, Royal Holloway, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scalway
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schrader
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Chris J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Scotton
authors.affiliation: Mary Lyon Centre, MRC Harwell, Harwell, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Cheryl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Scudamore
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jane A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Named Veterinary Surgeons Group, Royal Veterinary College, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Whitfield
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wolfensohn
mesh_terms: D000827:Animal Welfare / Q000941:ethics; D000818:Animals; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006809:Humanities; D006801:Humans; D058025:Interdisciplinary Studies; D007756:Laboratory Animal Science / Q000941:ethics / Q000379:methods*; D012942:Social Sciences