Replacing Animal Research is a UK-based charity dedicated to replacing the use of animals in medical research. Formerly known as the Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME), the organisation has been active for over 50 years. It champions the development and use of human-relevant, non-animal research methods to advance scientific knowledge and improve human health.
Support for Researchers
Replacing Animal Research supports the scientific community by:
Funding Innovative Research: They provide grants for projects that develop and validate non-animal methodologies, such as organ-on-chip technologies and human tissue or computer-based models.
Scientific Journal: In partnership with Sage the charity publishes ATLA (Alternatives to Laboratory Animals), a peer-reviewed journal that publishes research on alternative methodologies and 3Rs developments.
Education and Training: They offer training and resources to help researchers and students learn about how to search for and adopt non-animal methods.
Support the implementation of replacement to help meet the requirements of current animal research legislation, such as the Replacement Checklist for researchers and research reviewers.
Are you a Peer reviewer? The charity run free webinars for grant reviewers on using the Replacement Checklist to support the assessment of grant applications where animal use is proposed.
You can also sign up to receive regular updates on their work.
Loughborough University Researchers at the Heart of New UK Flagship Centre for Neuromorphic Computing.
Loughborough University is set to play a major role in the newly established UK Multidisciplinary Centre for Neuromorphic Computing, a national flagship initiative that will pioneer brain-inspired, energy-efficient computing technologies for the future. Funded with £5.6 million from UKRI’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the centre brings together world-leading expertise from across the physical, biological and computational sciences.
The centre will act as a national hub for collaboration and innovation in neuromorphic computing — a rapidly growing field that takes inspiration from the structure and function of the human brain to develop sustainable, high-performance computing systems. Addressing one of the grand challenges of our time, the initiative will tackle the escalating global energy demands of artificial intelligence and digital infrastructures.
Led by Aston University, the centre draws together researchers from Loughborough, Oxford, Cambridge, Southampton, Strathclyde, Queen Mary University of London, and a wide network of industrial and policy partners. At its core lies an ambitious, interdisciplinary research vision that uniquely integrates human stem-cell-derived neuronal models, advanced computational paradigms, low-power AI algorithms, photonic hardware, and materials chemistry.
Loughborough University’s contribution is central to this multidisciplinary collaboration. Building on its longstanding strengths in neuro-engineering, biomaterials, microfabrication, and stem cell technologies, the university will lead key aspects of the research programme, developing next-generation neuromorphic systems inspired by human biology. This includes the use of cutting-edge induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technologies to create human neurons, enabling unprecedented insights into brain-like computation and facilitating the co-design of novel computing architectures.
Dr Eric Hill, Programme Director for Natural Sciences at Loughborough, “Our work with human stem cell-derived neurons is central to this project’s multidisciplinary approach. By integrating biological, physical, and computational sciences, we’re helping to develop brain-inspired systems that will deliver energy-efficient, scalable solutions for complex data processing.”
The centre’s wider ambition is to create a sustainable UK research ecosystem, combining fundamental science with translational impact. Alongside its academic collaborators, Loughborough will work closely with a broad network of industry partners — including Microsoft Research, Thales, BT, QinetiQ, Nokia Bell Labs, Hewlett Packard Labs, Leonardo, and Northrop Grumman — ensuring that scientific advances translate into real-world societal and industrial benefits.
The Centre’s dedicated website is here – save this on your home screen as you’ll see lots of updates.
Beyond its immediate technological goals, the centre aims to cultivate a long-term interdisciplinary research community, positioning the UK at the global forefront of neuromorphic computing research.
Professor Paul Roach, Professor of Biomaterials and Interface Science at Loughborough, said: “Loughborough is extremely well-placed to drive interdisciplinary research in neuro-engineering. This centre builds on our expertise spanning stem cell technologies, materials chemistry, and microfabrication. Our ambition is to help position the UK as a world leader in neuromorphic computing.”
Our January Society for Natural Sciences Learning and Teaching webinar: “New Directions in the Teaching of Natural Sciences- an Editor’s perspective” will be delivered by Sweta Ladwa from University of Greenwich and will take place on Thursday 25th January 2024 from 12.00-12.50. Please register via this event link to receive joining details prior to the event.
The Society for Natural Sciences Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Group host a series of monthly lunchtime online seminars to support dissemination and discussion of best practice in an interdisciplinary science education. These informal webinars take place online from 12.00-12.50 on the final Thursday of each month and start with an introductory presentation from a member of the network followed by question and answers/discussion. They are open and free to attend (for both members of the Society and non-members)- so do feel free to extend this invitation to colleagues!
The 2024 Society for Natural Sciences Student Conference will take place in the beautiful city of Norwich, on Thursday 4th and Friday 5th April. This is an opportunity to meet with Natural Sciences students from across the country, and get some real-life experience in presenting your results – both poster and oral presentation opportunities will be available. We encourage finalists to present their final year research project, but students in any year can attend and present.
Download this file here as a ppt to insert in your lecture slides – help us to promote this amazing opportunity to your students.
The Conference will take place at the University of East Anglia, starting around lunchtime on 4th April. The afternoon session will be followed by a conference dinner and social, and a morning session on 5th April, finishing around lunchtime. There’s plenty of affordable accommodation in Norwich if booked in advance. Our keynote speakers will be Prof of Volcanology, Jenni Barclay, and Prof of Evolutionary Biology, Ben Garrod – you may have seen him on the BBC.
We look forward to seeing many of you in Norwich in April!
Our November Society for Natural Sciences Learning and Teaching webinar: ” Student attitudes to learning Science” will be delivered by Derek Raine, Emeritus Professor at the University of Leicester and will take place on Thursday 30th November 2023 from 12.00-12.50. Please register via this event link to receive joining details prior to the event.
The Society for Natural Sciences Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Group host a series of monthly lunchtime online seminars to support dissemination and discussion of best practice in an interdisciplinary science education. These informal webinars take place online from 12.00-12.50 on the final Thursday of each month and start with an introductory presentation from a member of the network followed by question and answers/discussion. They are open and free to attend (for both members of the Society and non-members)- so do feel free to extend this invitation to colleagues!
Our October Society for Natural Sciences Learning and Teaching webinar: “STEM integration and the relationships between STEM subjects” will be delivered by Rory McDonald from Liverpool John Moores University and will take place on Thursday 26th October 2023 from 12.00-12.50. Please register via this event link to receive joining details prior to the event.
The Society for Natural Sciences Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Group host a series of monthly lunchtime online seminars to support dissemination and discussion of best practice in an interdisciplinary science education. These informal webinars take place online from 12.00-12.50 on the final Thursday of each month and start with an introductory presentation from a member of the network followed by question and answers/discussion. They are open and free to attend (for both members of the Society and non-members)- so do feel free to extend this invitation to colleagues!
This will be delivered by will be delivered by Alice Jackson (University of Leicester) and will take place on Thursday 28th September 2023 from 12.00-12.50. Please register via this event link to receive joining details prior to the event.
The Society for Natural Sciences Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Group host a series of monthly lunchtime online seminars to support dissemination and discussion of best practice in an interdisciplinary science education. These informal webinars take place online from 12.00-12.50 on the final Thursday of each month and start with an introductory presentation from a member of the network followed by question and answers/discussion. They are open and free to attend (for both members of the Society and non-members)- so do feel free to extend this invitation to colleagues!
Next year’s Society for Natural Sciences student conference will be held at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, on 4th and 5th April. Please save this date in your diary, think about your students who might want to come, and if you are a student ask your supervisors/ course directors about this opportunity.
Please see here for previous events – and keep your eyes peeled for more information about next years plans.
This free-to-attend conference is to be held on the 20-21st November 2023 at the Dorothy Hodgkin Building, University of Bristol. There is no registration fee but there are limited places available – please use this form to register your attendance at this event. The information that you provide will not be shared and will be used solely for the purposes of event organization.
In this live interactive Astrobiology/Natural Sciences tutorial, we will be joined by Dr Sarah Gretton, Associate Professor, Natural Sciences (Life and Physical Sciences) Programme Director and Admissions Tutor at the University of Leicester. In this session, Sarah represents the Society for Natural Sciences, a national learned society that promotes interdisciplinary science education and research.
This live tutorial will follow an introductory lecture on the Drake Equation (available below), which is used to estimate the number of communicative extra-terrestrials in our galaxy. In the tutorial students will consider each of the terms of the equation evaluating astronomical, biological, and psychological/sociological factors to arrive at the probability of the number of active technically advanced civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy.
A-level, BTEC, T-level and IB links to: Physics (gravity, particles), Biology (proteins, nucleic acids), Chemistry (redox reactions, electronegativity)
The full context/introduction to this live and interactive discussion is provided in the recorded resource below. This recording can be watched as a class activity or independently in preparation for the activity on 4th July.
Suitable for: Year 12 & 13 students, and equivalent, studying Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Maths, Earth Sciences.
Preparation or Pre-Reading: Students are asked to watch the above recording and consider some of the key issues, questions and techniques that are introduced.
Banner caption: Montage of micro-fabricated devices for culturing cells in vitro.
