The BBSRC has announced that it “anticipates” funding a community-led Animal Welfare Research Network (AWRN) for a period of three years, building on a working group review carried out in 2014.
The announcement, shown on the BBSRC website, includes a call for members to join the new network, for which the application deadline is February 20, 2015.
“In 2014 an Animal Welfare Working Group was formed to review BBSRC-funded animal welfare research,” said the BBSRC statement. “The group identified the animal welfare community as small and specialised but split into silos such as observational, disease and behavioural research, which may not encourage multidisciplinary collaborations across a broad range of scientific expertise.
“To foster and encourage community collaboration, within animal welfare and with the broader academic community, and to develop a supportive community environment, the group advised that a community-led network be established.
“To take this forward, BBSRC anticipates funding a community-led AWRN for a period of three years. This will be focused on research contributing to the welfare of managed animals (including farmed, laboratory and companion animals), both vertebrates and relevant invertebrates (e.g. bees), and will encourage links to researchers working on non-managed species.”