Commitment to Humane Animal Research Through Excellence and Responsibility (CHARTER) Program for Lab Animal Welfare
While our contributions to the drug discovery and development process are well known, our contribution to the larger goal of educating the public about biomedical research and its importance to their lives, funding research projects and organizations aimed at enhancing animal welfare, and funding animal welfare related awards, may not be as well known. Public education is conducted by organizations dedicated to providing fair and balanced information to help the general public and our legislators understand the complex issues surrounding the use of animals in biomedical research. These organizations require funding to do their work.
In 1976 Dr. Henry Foster established the Charles River Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit, tax-exempt public foundation. In 2009 the Foundation’s mission was taken over by the Charles River Commitment to Humane Animal Research Through Excellence and Responsibility (CHARTER) Program. The Charles River Laboratories Foundation still exists, but the main funding for its work now comes from Charles River corporate funding.
The Charles River CHARTER program is committed to funding organizations and projects that support the objectives of the Humane Care Imperative. The CHARTER mission is:
- To enhance education and training that furthers the humane care of laboratory animals and advances the values of the 3Rs principle (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement). This includes but is not limited to research, development, and testing related to best practices and fostering good health, welfare, and quality of laboratory animals.
- To support activities that increase the awareness of the ethics of humane animal care and foster alliances between organizations with similar goals.
- To fund organizations and projects that educate the public about biomedical research.
Humane Care Recognition
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Awards
Charles River Prize
The Charles River Prize is awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to laboratory animal science and medicine and has a global reach. The prize is presented at the annual American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Awards Ceremony, the perfect forum for this special recognition of exceptional achievement in laboratory animal science and medicine.
Charles River Medallion
The Charles River Medallion is administered through the Laboratory Animal Management Association (LAMA), which enhances the quality of management and care of laboratory animals through education, knowledge exchange, and professional development. The medallion is given in recognition of distinguished contributions to the field of laboratory animal management by an administrator or manager who is a member of LAMA and is currently engaged in laboratory animal management.
3Rs Implementation Award
The 3Rs Implementation Award is administered through the 3Rs Collaborative and is awarded to an individual or group that has published outstanding work demonstrating the successful implementation of a specific R with high impact.
Lab Animal Specialist Travel Awards
Administered through the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS), the recipient is a biomedical scientist or veterinarian from South or Central America who is involved with experimental animals and is a member of their local or regional laboratory animal science organization. The award sponsors the individual's travel to the national AALAS meeting, the largest laboratory animal science meeting in the world.
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Laboratory Animal Welfare Resources
There are a number of independent nonprofit organizations and foundations dedicated to the development and support of best practices in animal research. They provide trusted educational resources and outreach programs to researchers, scientists, and the general public. Explore some of the lab animal welfare organizations and associations that we collaborate with:
Professional Societies
- American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS)
- American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM)
- American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners (ASLAP)
- American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
- Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science (CALAS)
- Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Medicine (CALAM)
- European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ECLAM)
- European Society of Laboratory Animal Veterinarians (ESLAV)
- The Federation of Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA)
Nonprofit Biomedical Research Organizations- Americans for Medical Progress (AMP)
- Foundation for Biomedical Research (FBR)
- Norway's National Consensus Platform for the Advancement of the 3Rs (NORECOPA)
- The Institutional Officials Consortium (IOC)
- The North American 3Rs Collaborative’s (NA3RsC)
- The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs)
- The States United for Biomedical Research (SUBR)
- Understanding Animal Research (UAR)
Animal Care and Welfare Oversight- Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC)
- European Commission
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)
- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Accrediting Organizations -
Funding
Our budget cycle runs from January through December and the budgeting process for the following fiscal year begins in August.
A funding request should include the main activities that the funding will support and discuss how those activities support the objectives of the CHARTER program and the Humane Care Imperative.
All funding requests should be submitted to the address below and emailed to Dr. Elizabeth Nunamaker.
Charles River CHARTER Program
c/o Dr. Elizabeth Nunamaker
251 Ballardvale Street
Wilmington, MA 01887
Norecopa: A Global 3Rs Research Database Resides in Norway
Explore global 3Rs in animal research with Norecopa’s Adrian Smith and Charles River’s Liz Nunamaker, and Norway’s influential consensus platform.
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