Culture of Care Network
The Swiss Culture of Care Network aims to promote and facilitate the culture of care at institutions in Switzerland. The term Culture of Care (CoC) is used in the laboratory animal science community to indicate a commitment to improve animal welfare, scientific quality, conditions for staff working with animals and transparency for stakeholders. Establishing an effective CoC means implementing strategies that advocate a mind-set and behaviour of continuous and proactive work to progress and promote laboratory animal welfare and the 3Rs at a level above and beyond a culture of pure legal compliance. The Swiss CoC network has been established together with the Swiss 3R Competence Centre in 2019.
The CoC network’s main goals are:
- to introduce the CoC concept to a wider audience of diverse stakeholders in Switzerland
- to bring together different stakeholders from Switzerland
- to facilitate the implementation of CoC and 3Rs methods in Switzerland,
The aims of the CoC network align with the 3RCCs overall goal to change mindsets and promote good 3Rs practice. It may support the 3RCC in the field of education, communication and monitoring of CoC related topics. The CoC network aims to serve as an umbrella for stakeholders interested in all aspects related to CoC in Switzerland.
It aims to inform about the concept, disseminate CoC resources and best practice examples and to support initiatives that are linked to CoC, for example at Swiss universities, industry or societies involved or interested in animal experimentation. The Network is self-organising but hosted by the 3RCC.
If you would like to find out more information on the Culture of Care Award, follow this link.
Join the Network
Would you like to contribute to advancing the Culture of Care in Switzerland? We invite institutions and individuals to become members and to share knowledge, experience, and best practices within our community.
Applications are to be submitted to info@swiss3rcc.org and should include a CV and a letter of motivation.
Statutes
Culture of Care Charter
Culture of care Reports
Gentle Handling Report 2025
In 2020 and 2024, the Swiss 3RCC and the Swiss Culture of Care Network carried out two surveys on the use of non-aversive mouse handling methods among animal care and research staff in Switzerland. The goal was to assess: Awareness and understanding of these...
Culture of Care Comic
The Culture of Care is a key approach in research involving animals, focusing on responsibility, reflection and animal welfare. To celebrate recent successes in Switzerland, we created a short comic strip highlighting the work of Angelika Offinger from the Animal...
Member List
CULTURE OF CARE AWARD WINNERS
Culture of Care Award 2025 – Culture of Care Working Group (USI)
The Culture of Care Working Group of the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Bellinzona Institutes of Science (Bios⁺) won the Culture of Care Award 2025 in recognition of fostering a culture of care for animals used in research.
2024 Culture of Care Award – Dr. Petra Seebeck (UZH) & Dr. Stephan Zeiter (AO Foundation)
Awarded for their pioneering initiative in promoting Good Surgical Practice in rodent surgery.
2023 Culture of Care Award – Animal Caretaker Team (University of Basel)
The Animal Caretaker Team from the Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel has exhibited an exemplary approach to sustainably reduce surplus animals.
2022 Culture of Care Award – Dr. Julie Parchet-Piccand (EPFL)
The 2022 and inaugural CoC award goes Dr. Julie Parchet-Piccand for her project on improving the knowledge of experimental licenses and research projects for animal caretakers.
Newsletter of Culture of care
Culture of Care Newsletter – December 2025
Dec 2025 Newsletter