For projects involving severe discomfort or non-human primates, you must meet special conditions. This requirement is laid down in the Animal Experiments Act (Wet op de dierproeven (Wod)) and is known as ‘retrospective assessment’.
When is a retrospective assessment required?
When granting and issuing a licence, we apply retrospective assessment to projects that involve:
- severe discomfort in all or some of the animals used in the research;
- research that involves non-human primates.
If your project is subject to retrospective assessment, you must submit the retrospective assessment no later than one year after your project licence expires.
What should be included in the retrospective assessment?
You should include the following information in the retrospective assessment:
- whether the project’s objectives have been achieved;
- the level of discomfort experienced by the animals;
- how many laboratory animals were used;
- which species of laboratory animals were used;
- the severity of the procedures;
- which outcomes may contribute to further implementing the required Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement (3Rs).
Submitting the retrospective assessment
You submit your retrospective assessment to us using our online form in Mijn RVO (website in Dutch). If you have any questions about how to complete the online documents or about the retrospective assessment itself? Please contact us. We will be happy to help.
Procedure for retrospective assessment
This is the procedure for a retrospective assessment.
The ‘Retrospective assessment’ infographic gives a visual representation of the five-step process used by the CCD to conduct a retrospective assessment.
Step 1: You send us the retrospective assessment application.
- First, consult your AWB. If the AWB agrees, you then complete the retrospective assessment application.
- You send us your completed retrospective assessment application. This marks the start of the processing period.
Step 2: We pass on your retrospective assessment to the DEC. This is the same DEC that previously advised on your project application.
Step 3: The DEC evaluates your retrospective assessment.
They share their advice with us within 20 working days. If anything is unclear, the DEC will ask you for more information.
Step 4: We evaluate your retrospective assessment.
- We complete the evaluation within 20 working days. If anything is unclear, we may ask you or the DEC for more information.
- We discuss your retrospective assessment during our committee meeting.
Step 5: You receive our decision.
You will receive a formal decision stating whether your retrospective assessment meets the required conditions.