Athens, Greece – May 31, 2025 — The COST Action IMPROVE network convened a two-day hybrid event in Athens on May 29–30, 2025, bringing together leading experts, researchers, and stakeholders to promote the implementation of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) in preclinical research.

Hosted at the Golden Age Hotel and BIOEMTECH facilities, the event featured a dynamic program including a scientific workshop, a Management Committee (MC) meeting, and a Working Group 3 (WG3) session.

Day 1: Scientific Workshop Led by BIOEMTECH

The first day was dedicated to a workshop on 3Rs refinement and reduction, organized by BIOEMTECH, a pioneering preclinical Contract Research Organization (CRO). The morning session, held in hybrid format, included keynote presentations on BIOEMTECH’s innovative approach to animal welfare and molecular imaging technologies. Highlights included:

In the afternoon, participants visited BIOEMTECH’s state-of-the-art laboratories for hands-on demonstrations in radiochemistry, animal handling, and imaging technologies. The day concluded with a networking social event at the Golden Age Hotel.

Day 2: Strategic Meetings and Collaborative Planning

The second day featured the MC and WG3 meetings, focusing on strategic planning and collaborative research. The WG3 session included:

The event concluded with a group dinner at the traditional Athenian taverna The Ugly Duckling, fostering informal exchanges and strengthening community ties.

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August 27-31, 2023 at Niagara Falls, Canada

Thanks to a grant under CA -IMPROVE, Arti Ahluwalia presented two seminars at the WC12:

Title: Lab on a laptop: beyond the experimental model

Title: Centro 3R, mainstreaming replacement through pervasive 3R education

The first presentation described some of the virtual models developed by her lab. Talk puts forward the proposal that in vitro models might be replaced by the “lab on a laptop”. Following the symposium, Dr. Ahluwalia was involved in engaging discussions on the value of in-silico models, analysing why they are not widely used and how to render them accessible to enable the implementation of viable and valid alternatives to animal experiments. This is a central theme in IMPROVE.

In the second presentation the talk was focused on describing the state of knowledge on the 3Rs at Italian universities before and after the Italian Centro 3R’s (www.centr3r.it) campaign of pervasive education at all levels. The results showed how education significantly increases the application of the 3Rs and promotes responsible research.

As a common efforts of over 25 European 3Rs centres, platforms and institutes and in 70 authors.

This article takes a closer look at their financial and organisational structures, describes their Three Rs focus and core activities (dissemination, education, implementation, scientific quality/translatability, ethics), and presents their areas of responsibility and projects in detail. This overview of the work and diverse structures of the Three Rs centres and platforms is not only intended to bring them closer to the reader, but also to provide role models and show examples of how such Three Rs centres and platforms could be made sustainable. The Three Rs centres and platforms are very important focal points and play an immense role as facilitators of Directive 2010/63/EU ‘on the ground’ in their respective countries. They are also invaluable for the wide dissemination of information and for promoting the implementation of the Three Rs in general.

The publication can be found via following link: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02611929221140909

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