Applying for a project licence

The first step is to assess whether your project contains animal experiments, according to the law. This can be done by reading this notice (In Dutch) from the Central Authority for Scientific Procedures on Animals (CCD), or by contacting us in case of doubt.

A licence is issued for a period of no more than 5 years.

The application for a project licence consists of the following:

• application form
• project proposal
• appendix: description of animal procedures
• non-technical summary in Dutch for lay people (NTS)

These forms can be sent to you on demand. Please send us a request by email. In the route for a project license application you can read how to submit your proposal.

Evaluation

The CCD evaluates whether a licence can be granted for a project proposal. The CCD bases its decision on a recommendation by an Animal Experiments Committee.

The DEC considers answers the following questions on behalf of the CCD:

• Is the project justified or legally required from a scientific or educational perspective?
• Do the project objectives justify the harm done to the animals' welfare?
• Is the project organised in such a way that the procedures can be conducted in an as humane and environmentally-friendly manner possible, and with as few animals as possible?

More specific questions include:

• What are the project's goals and the predicted scientific results or educational value?
• Are these goals feasible and realistic?
• Have the 3R's (replacement, reduction and refinement) been taken fully into consideration in the project application?
• Has the discomfort for the laboratory animals been estimated realistically?
• Does the importance of the project justify the harm to the welfare of the laboratory animals?
• Must the project be evaluated in retrospect? And if so, at which moment?

A retrospective assessment may be needed depending on the nature of the project, the species of animal used and the probability that the goals will be met.

Expenses

The fees for applying for a project licence and other fees can be found on the CCD website.