June 24, 2024

Meeting of representatives of the associations that make up FELASA

On June 2, a regular meeting of representatives of the associations that make up FELASA was held at the IOTA Hotel in Tbilisi, Georgia. The meeting discussed the organization of the upcoming FELASA 2025 Congress (June 2-5, 2025, Athens, Greece), changes to the course accreditation procedure, a report from a FELASA representative on the recent working meeting held on the European Commission platform dedicated to the implementation of alternative research methods, and the development of an online platform for continuing education in LAS and CPD (continuing professional development) credits. A report on the activities of 14 FELASA working groups was presented.

The report of the working group on anesthesia in farm animals has been completed and is ready for publication; it can be found in the appendix to this letter. The report has been circulated to the associations for review and comments. If you have any questions, please send them to info@ruslasa.ru by September 15, 2024.

The report of the working group on Pain Management in Mice has been accepted for publication in the Laboratory Animals Journal.

The FELASA Course Accreditation Committee has announced a call for applications for two vacant positions. A job description and CV template are attached to this letter. Applications must be sent to info@ruslasa.ru by June 30, 2024.

In connection with the clarification of the European Commission’s requirements for the submission of applications and statistical reports for the creation of genetically modified animal strains for scientific purposes, as well as the assessment of the severity of the phenotypes of such strains, FELASA has released an explanatory webinar (Prof. Belén Pintado) on working with genetic models. The webinar is freely accessible.

FELASA announced its own web platform for hosting training materials (webinars), as well as recordings of FELASA congress sessions, for the purpose of issuing and recording CPD (continuing professional development) certificates. Within the platform, plans are underway to create sections for each association in addition to the general section, allowing for the hosting of materials in their national languages. We will notify Rus-LASA members once the platform is freely accessible.

In addition, internal organizational matters were addressed, including the election of vice presidents for course accreditation, working groups, and international relations, as well as the treasurer.

Representatives of other relevant organizations working with FELASA spoke at the meeting about their current work: EARA (European Animal Research Association, public relations), EFAT (European Federation of Animal Technicians), and ESLAV (European Society of Laboratory Animal Veterinarians).

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