Culture of Care

Openness & Transparency

Building trust through clear, honest communication within and outside the research community.

How it Connects to a Greater Culture of Care

  • Transparency strengthens scientific integrity by making study design and outcomes visible and reproducible. 
  • Open communication about welfare practices builds public trust and shared responsibility. 
  • Clear messaging empowers and supports staff, reinforcing psychological safety and engagement. 
  • Processes identifying areas for improvement and minimizing risks ensures better animal welfare 
  • It ensures alignment between internal values and external expectations.

Internal Communications and Transparency

Why internal communication and transparency are essential

  • Shared understanding: Clear internal information on why, how, and when animals are used aligns teams around ethics, 3Rs, and design quality (ARRIVE 2.0, PREPARE).
  • Better science: Internal visibility on experimental design, welfare refinements, and reporting standards improves reproducibility and integrity. 
  • Regulatory readiness: U.S., Canadian, and global frameworks (e.g., USDA, CCAC, AAALAC) require consistent internal knowledge of ethics, welfare, and project design.


How to foster communication and dialogue

Set up a cross‑functional Communication Group: Include researchers, veterinarians, animal care staff, ethics committee members, and communications professionals—modeled on best practices for institutional openness.



Dialogue formats & tools (mix and match):

  • Fishbowl dialogues on topics (e.g., severity classification, humane endpoints, environmental enrichment).
  • “Ask‑me‑anything” Staff Forums with veterinarians or animal care staff on welfare, refinements, and 3Rs.
  • Internal hub with FAQs, glossaries, ARRIVE/PREPARE checklists, and sample protocols.
  • Lab Open‑Hours (internal) for shadowing care teams, showcasing refinements and enrichment protocols.
  • Brown‑bag series on design quality (randomization, blinding, humane endpoints)


Internal reporting & empowering positive change

  • Quarterly “Openness Sprint”: collect staff suggestions for refinements and design improvements; share “You Said/We Did” updates internally.
  • Anonymous feedback channel for welfare concerns linked to whistleblowing and prompt reporting standards.
  • Metrics: number of forums held, percentage of staff trained on ARRIVE/PREPARE, refinements adopted, and resolution times for reported issues.

External Communications and Transparency

Story-led communication

  • Build a library of recorded presentations featuring:
  • Researcher stories: Why they use animals, what questions they address, and how welfare is prioritized.
  • Patient/family perspectives: Conditions helped by animal-based research and complementary alternatives.
  • Facility walk-throughs: Virtual tours showing housing, enrichment, and care teams (modeled on UAR’s “Lab Animal Tour”).
  • 

Presentation framework:

  • The big question and why it matters (plain language)
  • Why animals? Where alternatives fit; 3Rs in practice
  • Welfare and oversight: housing, enrichment, humane endpoints, named persons/committees
  • Design quality: randomization, blinding, sample size; link to ARRIVE 2.0
  • What we learned and its impact

Why External Openness & Internal Transparency Are Important

  • Public trust & accountability: Openness commitments explain when, how, and why animals are used, and provide opportunities for dialogue.
  • Policy & compliance: Public summaries improve understanding of harms/benefits and 3Rs compliance.
  • Sector leadership: Leading institutions share statistics, case studies, and welfare practices publicly.

Global Transparency Agreements