Animals in research

Scientific research is based on a variety of methods used in a complementary manner to acquire knowledge and, for example, develop novel therapeutical approaches. Methods involving animals exist alongside experiments on cells or tissues of human or animal origin as well as methods based on computer simulations. The complementary nature of these different approaches is underlined by the fact that nearly all SNSF-supported projects involving animals also use alternative methods.

Great progress in advancing alternative methods has been made in recent years, for instance, with the development of artificial intelligence and the emergence of tools such as organoids – miniature, simplified reproductions of whole or parts of organs. It is important to note that many alternative approaches – including cell culture and the use of organoids – still rely on animals as a source of biological material, whether for their implementation, maintenance or validation. Therefore, although recent advances harbour a potential to reduce the number of animals used to answer certain questions, they do not allow to do away with their use entirely.

The biological processes studied using animals often involve the entire organism or complex interactions between different organs, or even individuals. Some SNSF-funded projects relate to human medicine, including the study of cancer metastases, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative disorders or fundamental biological mechanisms such as embryonic development, ageing or the function of the nervous system. Other projects relate to veterinary medicine, or focus on ecology or agriculture, including observational or interventional studies related to animal husbandry. For all these applications, animals in research make it possible to investigate biological processes that cannot be understood using the currently available alternative methods.

According to an index published by the international organisation World Animal Protection (accessed in January 2026), Switzerland is among the eight countries that provide the highest protection for animals used in research worldwide. Swiss legislation requires compliance with the 3R principles, which stipulate that alternative methods to animal experimentation should always be preferred when these methods are relevant (Replace), that the number of animals used should be kept to the minimum possible (Reduce), and that their suffering should be minimised (Refine). Experiments involving animals are subject to authorisation by the cantonal veterinary offices after consultation with the cantonal animal experimentation committees. These committees are made up of researchers, ethicists and animal welfare advocates.

The weighing of interests between the knowledge gained from an experiment and the harm suffered by animals used in this experiment is the responsibility of the researchers. It is then verified by the ethics committees and cantonal offices, which decide whether or not to grant authorisation for the use of animals and the protocol to be implemented. The SNSF does not have the authority to assess these ethical and legal aspects, but it does verify that the necessary authorisations have been obtained before releasing project funds. It independently assesses the scientific quality of projects and, in this context, does everything possible within its mandate to ensure that the proposed models (animal or alternative) are relevant and state of the art.

The SNSF also strongly encourages researchers to comply with the guidelines of the Ethics Committee for Animal Experimentation (ECAE) of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS) and the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT).

The SNSF is committed to helping to ensure that animal experimentation is performed in a responsible and ethical manner. Beyond the legal requirements, it has signed the STAAR (Swiss Transparency Agreement on Animal Research) agreement, which aims to encourage communication and transparency regarding animal experimentation. The SNSF also takes scientific and societal advances into account when updating its evaluation policies and practices.

In 2025, the SNSF updated its principles and guidelines concerning projects involving animals in research, in which it stipulates the responsibilities and expectations for such projects and their evaluation. The updated document insists that researchers justify in detail the scientific need for animals and explain why alternatives would not allow the same information to be obtained, in a way that allows for thorough scientific scrutiny. Similarly, the guidelines for the expert reviewers and evaluation committee members now emphasise the need to assess these aspects as part of the scientific evaluation of the research proposals.

Finally, the SNSF is in close contact with the Swiss 3R Competence Centre (3RCC), which specifically promotes the development of new 3R methods. In addition, the National Research Programme “Advancing 3R – Animals, Research and Society” (NRP 79) was launched in May 2022 for a period of five years on behalf of the Swiss Confederation. With a budget of 20 million Swiss francs, the programme aims to investigate how to advance the implementation of the 3Rs principles – replace, reduce and refine – by addressing the potential, challenges and limitations of this approach.

In Switzerland, all experiments carried out on vertebrates, cephalopods and Reptantia (a suborder of decapod crustaceans) are subject to authorisation. The SNSF verifies that these authorisations are in place before releasing funds for the projects it supports. The statistics available to the SNSF are therefore based on the experimental plans submitted at the start of the project. The exact number of animals actually used is recorded after completion of the experiments in annual statistics by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO).

In 2024, the SNSF supported around 6,400 projects carried out by 23,000 researchers with an annual budget of just over 1 billion Swiss francs. Of this total, less than 170 million Swiss francs were allocated to more than 660 projects in which at least a subpart used animals. It should be noted that this amount covers the entirety of the projects. It therefore includes the salaries of employees – estimated at 80% of the total amount – as well as the funding of alternative methods and other parts and experiments of the project. These grants encompassing experiments in which animals are used represent 11% of all projects and 16% of all financial resources distributed. These proportions have remained stable over the past few years.

A series of articles written in the frame of NRP 79 – linked below – provides some examples of research focused on animal experimentation or alternative methods. Further examples of SNSF-supported projects involving animals can also be found in the other news linked below.