The University was shortlisted for an award at the Understanding Animal Research (UAR) Openness Awards in the “Website or use of new media” category recently.
The University was nominated for the redesign of the pages at www.bath.ac.uk/topics/animal-research/ which clearly and openly provide facts, figures, policies, news and more about how animals are used in research at Bath.
The pages were significantly revised and refreshed to be more easily accessible and searchable, and all University news and press releases involving animal research are automatically placed on the topic landing page.
The University is a signatory to the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK, which is administered by Understanding Animal Research (UAR), a not-for-profit organisation that explains why animals are used in research. Openness Awards are granted annually in recognition of good practice in championing openness. It is the second successive year that Bath has been shortlisted for an award.
The Openness Awards Judging Committee, which is external to UAR, commended the website’s use of images and were impressed by the links to the press office news, which made the content feel up to date and dynamic.
Dr Viv Winrow, Research Liaison Officer, said: “We take our responsibilities as signatories of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK very seriously and we are committed to being open and transparent about the humane use of animals in research so the public understands why this is necessary, and that we have the highest standards of animal welfare.”
“We’re pleased to have been recognised for our efforts around openness. The new website is more user-friendly, better designed and contains a wide variety of information in one place.”
The winner of the category was the Motor Neurone Disease Association, for providing its readers with a wealth of online information about how and why the organisation uses animals in research.