TALK: Integrating animal care staff and lab technicians into experimental planning

Date: April 9–10, 2025

Location: University of Helsinki

Over two days, the FIN3R Symposium and Workshop brought together experts, researchers, and professionals from laboratory animal science to discuss and advance the culture of care in Finland and Europe. The event featured lectures from international and Finnish speakers on the first day, followed by an interactive workshop on the second day.

COST Action IMPROVE participated through Fernando Gonzalez Uarquin’ s presentation on integrating animal care staff and lab technicians into experimental planning—a promising step toward enhancing transparency in research practices. Such initiative, created within CA IMPROVE, involve around 14 members of the Action.

On Day 1, the symposium was chaired by Mikko Karpale (University of Oulu) with lecturers from Paulin Jirkof (University of Zurich, Switzerland), Fernando Gonzalez Uarquin (University Medical Center Mainz, Germany), Jordi Tremoleda (Queen Mary University of London, UK), Vootele Voikar (University of Helsinki), Hajnalka Nadai (Experimentica), and Hanna-Marja Voipio (University of Oulu). The discussion panel was chaired by Noora Holk (Orion Pharma), allowing participants to exchange ideas and reflect on the day's topics.

On day 2, the workshop focused on practical aspects of communication challenges within animal facilities. Led by Jordi Tremoleda and Fernando Gonzalez Uarquin, it brought together 15 participants for an interactive session.

Key activities included: 1) Sharing Care-full stories to illustrate real-world experiences, 2) Group discussions addressing routine communication problems encountered in animal facilities. 3) Exploring training materials designed to adapt culture-of-care practices to different institutions. 4) Exchanging ideas and experiences among participants from diverse professional backgrounds.

For further inquiries about the FIN3R Symposium and Workshop or to learn more about the culture of care initiatives, please reach out to the organizing team via email at info@fin3r.fi. Additional resources, including training materials and networking opportunities, can also be accessed through the FIN3R website: www.fin3r.fi.