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Over the past months, we’ve been discussing the publication of negative results, and some of the obstacles that prevent people from publishing them. While we’re happy to publish papers based on negative results, not everyone can find the time to write them up. A Dutch funding agency is now giving out grants specifically to fund a researcher for the period it takes to turn negative results from animal research into a publishable manuscript. In this guest post, Erica van Oort of ZonMw explains the reasoning behind this grant, and what they hope to get out of it.

 

What is ZonMw?

The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development.

Progress requires research and development. ZonMw funds health research and stimulates use of the knowledge developed to help improve health and healthcare in the Netherlands. This includes fundamental research – for example by encouraging excellent young scientists – but also a programme to encourage and stimulate innovation in the field of 3R methods (reduction, refinement and replacement of animal testing). ZonMw has over thirteen years of experience with the execution and development of programmes within this specific scope, More Knowledge with Fewer Animals (MKMD, in Dutch only, except programme brochures) is the most recent of those programmes.

 

Introduction to the ZonMw Programme More Knowledge with Fewer Animals

The social debate about animal testing is governed by opposite interests: the reduced acceptance of animal testing versus the demand for absolute risk exclusion that experimental animal research claims to achieve. However, the animal model also has limitations, notably in the translation to human beings. Methods to replace, reduce or refine the use of test animals (the 3 Rs) are being developed across a broad spectrum. The MKMD programme aims to reduce the use of animal testing, without impairing the quality of scientific research and the safety of developed products. The MKMD programme is subdivided into modules. Each subject is sponsored by a commissioning organisation. Two out of three modules are now commissioned by the Ministry of Economic affairs, the third module is commissioned by The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).

 

Stimulating Open Access publications of scientifically sound negative or neutral results; of interest to researchers?

The Amendment 21 module promotes and develops 3Rs knowledge infrastructure and comprises the entire breadth of medical-biological fundamental experimental animal research. The knowledge infrastructure is based on training researchers in the use of synthesis of evidence (Systematic Reviews) within laboratory animal science and by providing open access  publication of unpublished scientific sound negative or neutral data.

To promote the publication of negative or neutral data, which include animal testing, ZonMw provides up to one month salary compensation for PhD students, postdocs or senior scientific personnel. Are scientists interested in this opportunity? Yes, since the opening of the call (October 2012) up to eighteen request have been granted.

In collaboration with SYRCLE, ZonMw also facilitates six workshops to promote the use of synthesis of evidence in laboratory animal science. These workshops are almost free of charge for all Dutch scientists. The synthesis of evidence in laboratory animal science can improve the quality of the published data by using the Gold Standard Publication Checklist (Hooijmans et al. (2010); ATLA, 38, 167-182) or ARRIVE guidelines (Killeny C. et al. J Gene Med. 2010 Jul;12(7):561-563) and also provides a firmer substantiation for animal models to be used.

More information about synthesis of evidence in laboratory animal science can be found via www.syrcle.nl/ and www.zonmw.nl/mkmd. More information about grants provided by NWO for publications in Open Access journals can be found on the NWO website.