Head of Knowledge and Technology Transfer nominated

The SNSF has selected Adrian Heuss as Head of Knowledge Transfer for NRP 79 "Advancing 3Rs".

Adrian Heuss, partner and consultant at advocacy ag, a communications and strategy agency with branches in Basel and Zurich, has been chosen by the SNSF to head knowledge transfer for the National Research Programme "Advancing 3Rs" (NRP 79). He will promote the exchange of knowledge between the research groups of NRP 79 and interested organisations and individuals and ensure the communication of results to a broader public.

The NRP 79 aims to advance the principle of 3Rs (replace, reduce, refine) in Switzerland. The 3Rs are concerned with avoiding animal experiments, reducing the number of animals and keeping animal suffering to a minimum.

From a life sciences and technology perspective, NRP 79 aims to develop methods and instruments that, if implemented consistently, will demonstrably reduce the number of animal experiments and the number of animals used in academic and private sector research in Switzerland. From the perspective of the humanities and social sciences, NRP 79 aims to address the ethical, legal, social, historical, cultural and economic aspects of animal experimentation and the use of animals in sciences in an innovative way. The data and new findings obtained are intended to provide a common basis for discussion for animal protectionists and animal experimentation advocates and thus advance the social discourse. The research phase of NRP 79 will last from 2022-2027, with a total budget of 20 million Swiss francs.

To ensure that the research findings and recommendations are made known in academia, business, administration, politics and the media, Adrian Heuss will design and implement the knowledge transfer and communication activities of NRP 79 as part of his mandate.