COVID-19

  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Information for NIH Applicants and Recipients of NIH Funding
  • Applicant/Recipient COVID-19 Update History
  • CDC COVID-19
  • Get the latest research information from NIH | Español
Expand for resources

n/a Warning! This browser is not supported - Some features might not work. Try using a different browser such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari.

  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
  • National Institutes of Health
Grants Home
  • eRA  |  new windowwNIH Staff   |  Glossary  |  FAQs  |  Help
  • Home
  • About Grants
    • Grants Process Overview
    • Get Started

    • Learn the Basics
    • Plan Your Application
    • How to Apply

    • Prepare to Apply
    • Write Application
    • Submit
    • How to Apply Video Tutorials

      Application Referral and Review

    • Receipt and Referral
    • Peer Review
    • Pre-Award and Post-Award Processes

    • Pre-Award and Award Process
    • Post Award Monitoring and Reporting
    • Forms Library

      Information For

    • Researchers
    • Research Administrators
    • Reviewers
    • Small Businesses Link to External Site
    • Foreign Grants
    • Media and the Public
    • NIH Staff Lock Icon
  • Funding
    • Find Grant Funding (NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts)
    • Other Transactions
    • Contracts
    • Research Training and Career Development Link to External Site
    • Loan Repayment Programs Link to External Site
    • Extramural Diversity Link to External Site
    • NIH Funding Strategies




      Notice IconAvoid Grant Scams
  • Policy & Compliance
    • NIH Grants Policy Statement
    • Notices of Policy Changes
    • Compliance & Oversight
    • Policy Topics

    • Animal Welfare Link to External Site
    • Application Submission Policies
    • Clinical Trial Requirements
    • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
    • Early Stage Investigator Policies
    • Family-Friendly Initiatives
    • Financial Conflict of Interest
    • Human Subjects Research
    • Inclusion Policies
    • Intellectual Property Policy
    • Lobbying Guidance for Grantee Activities
    • Natural Disasters
    • NIH Funding Strategies
    • Peer Review Policies and Practices
    • Protecting U.S. Biomedical Intellectual Innovation
    • Public Access Link to External Site
    • Research Integrity
    • Rigor and Reproducibility
    • Sharing Policies Link to External Site
    • Supporting a Safe and Respectful Workplace
  • News & Events

      Latest News

    • News Highlights
    • "Open Mike" Blog Link to External Site
    • Extramural Nexus Link to External Site
    • Subscribe and Follow

    • Listservs
    • Social Media

      Virtual Learning

    • Webinars
    • Podcasts
    • NIH Grants YouTube Channel Link to External Site

      Connect In Person

    • NIH Regional Seminars on Program
      Funding & Grants Administration
    • SBIR-STTR Engage & Connect Link to External Site
    • Loan Repayment Program (LRP)
      Contact & Engage
       Link to External Site
    • Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)
      Workshops and Conference
      Link to External Site
    • Events Calendar
  • About OER
    • About the Office of Extramural Research
    • OER Offices

    • Immediate Office of the Director (IMOD)
    • Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA)
    • Office of Research Reporting and Analysis (ORRA)
    • Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)
    • Strategic Management and Contracts Office (SMCO)
    • Office of Electronic Research Administration (eRA)
    • Division of Communication & Outreach (DCO)
    • Small Business Education and Entrepreneurial Development (SEED)
    • Division of Biomedical Research Workforce (DBRW)
    • Division of Human Subjects Research (DHSR)
  • eRA
    Link to External Site
  • NIH Staff Lock Icon
  • Home
  • FAQs
  • Help

Policy & Compliance

  • NIH Grants Policy Statement
  • Notices of Policy Changes
  • Compliance & Oversight
  • Select Policy Topics+
    • Animal Welfare
    • Application Submission Policies
    • Clinical Trial Requirements+
      • Clinical Trial Definition
      • Why the Changes
      • Good Clinical Practice
      • Specific Funding Opportunities
      • New Form
      • Single IRB Policy
      • Protocol Template
      • Registration and Reporting
    • NIH Funding Strategies
    • Human Subjects Research
    • Intellectual Property Policy
    • Lobbying Guidance for Grantee Activities
    • Early Stage and Early Established Investigator Policies
    • Peer Review Policies and Practices
    • Public Access
    • Research Integrity
    • Anti-Sexual Harassment
    • Sharing Policies
Home  »   Policy & Compliance   »  Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare   »  OPRR Reports - May 30, 1997
Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare
OPRR REPORTS

Number 97-02
Animal Welfare


The Animal Welfare Division of OPRR was renamed Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) in 2000.

May 30, 1997

Subject: NASA Principles for the Ethical Care and Use of Animals

Dear Colleague:

This letter provides information to Institutional Officials and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees. We are pleased to call your attention to an important new development in the ethical consideration of animals in research from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

In March 1997, NASA promulgated the enclosed document, "NASA Principles for the Ethical Care and Use of Animals." It is intended to guide careful and considered discussion of the ethical challenges that arise in the course of animal research under NASA's auspices. You may find it useful in your endeavors, as well.

Sincerely,

/s/ /s/
Nelson L. Garnett, D.V.M.
Director, Division of Animal Welfare
Office for Protection from Research Risks
Gary B. Ellis, Ph.D.
Director
Office for Protection from Research Risks

Director, Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare
Office of Extramural Research,
Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health
RKL 1, Suite 360
6705 Rockledge Dr .
Bethesda , MD 20892-7982
(For express or hand-delivered mail use zip code 20817)
Telephone (301) 496-7163
olaw@od.nih.gov



NASA Principles for the Ethical Care and Use of Animals


Introduction

A strong allegiance to the principles of bioethics is vital to any discussion of responsible research practices. As reflected in the considerations of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects, "scientific research has produced substantial social benefits... [and] some troubling ethical questions" (The Belmont Report, 1979). The Belmont Report identified the key fundamental principles underlying the ethical evaluation of research involving human subjects. Similarly, the principles governing the ethical evaluation of the use of animals in research must be made equally explicit.

It is generally agreed that vertebrate animals warrant moral concern. The following principles are offered to guide careful and considered discussion of the ethical challenges that arise in the course of animal research, a process that must balance risks, burdens and benefits. NASA will abide by these principles as well as all applicable laws and policies that govern the ethical use of animals (see list at end). It is recognized that awareness of these principles will not prevent conflicts. Rather, these principles are meant to provide a framework within which challenges can be rationally addressed.

Basic Principles

The use of animals in research involves responsibility - not only for the stewardship of the animals but to the scientific community and society as well. Stewardship is a universal responsibility that goes beyond the immediate research needs to include acquisition, care and disposition of the animals, while responsibility to the scientific community and society requires an appropriate understanding of, and sensitivity to scientific needs and community attitudes toward the use of animals.

Among the basic principles generally accepted in our culture, three are particularly relevant to the ethics of research using animals: respect for life, societal benefit, and non-maleficence.

1. Respect for Life

Living creatures deserve respect. This principle requires that animals used in research should be of an appropriate species and health status, and should involve the minimum number required to obtain valid scientific results. It also recognizes that the use of different species may raise different ethical concerns. Selection of appropriate species should consider cognitive capacity and other morally relevant factors. Additionally, methods such as mathematical models, computer simulation, and in vitro systems should be considered and used whenever possible.

2. Societal Benefit

The advancement of biological knowledge and improvements in the protection of the health and well being of both humans and other animals provide strong justification for biomedical and behavioral research. This principle entails that where animals are used, the assessment of the overall ethical value of such use should include consideration of the full range of potential societal goods, the populations affected, and the burdens that are expected to be borne by the subjects of the research.

3. Non-maleficence

Vertebrate animals are sentient. This principle entails that the minimization of distress, pain and suffering is a moral imperative. Unless the contrary is established, investigators should consider that procedures that cause pain or distress in humans may cause pain or distress in other sentient animals.

References:

  1. Belmont Report, 1979
  2. Animal Welfare Act (Public Law 89-544 as amended)
  3. U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing , Research, and Training, Developed by IRAC and endorsed by the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, 1985
  4. International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals, Developed by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences, Switzerland, 1985
  5. Public Health Service Act (Public Law 99-158, 1985)
  6. Guide for the Care and Use of Lab Animals, 1996

This page last updated on January 5, 2006 
Content Manager: olaw@od.nih.gov 
Technical Issues: E-mail OER Webmaster   

Back to Top
  • Contact Us
  • Bookmark & Share
  • E-mail Updates
  • RSS Feed
  • Podcast
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

  • Search
  • Help Downloading Files
  • Disclaimer
  • Older Versions of this Page
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility
  • HHS Vulnerability Disclosure
  • FOIA
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Grants.gov
  • USA.gov - Government Made Easy


  • National Institutes of Health (NIH), 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892

  • NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health