Supporting the Implementation of Refinements to Improve the Welfare of Animals in Experimentation
AWI offers grants of up to US$8,000 toward the purchase of equipment or training of staff for the purpose of implementing refinements known to improve the welfare of animals in experimentation.
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2025 Dates and Deadlines
- The application cycle will open on August 11 and close on October 13 at 11:59 pm ET.
- Funding decision notifications will be sent in December.
If you would like to receive an email notification when the submission process begins each year, please send an email to [email protected]. You will be able to remove yourself from this email list at any time.
How To Apply?
- Please submit a completed application form using the online submission system. You will be asked to provide a detailed proposal, a breakdown of the proposed budget, a CV/resume, and a letter of support from the host institution. You can preview the application here.
Who Can Apply?
- This award is open to residents of the United States or Canada, and the project must be conducted in the United States or Canada.
- Animal care staff, veterinarians, students, and researchers are welcome to apply.
- Applicants can apply every year and will be equally eligible for funding even if they have received funding in previous years. Projects that were submitted but not selected for funding in previous years can be resubmitted.
- Applicants may submit more than one application per funding cycle, and AWI may consider, at its discretion, funding a second project by the same applicant if, during that cycle, funds remain after all worthy projects from other applicants have been funded. In most cases, however, AWI will fund no more than one project (through either an Implementing Refinement Grant or a Refinement Research Award) per applicant per funding cycle.
What Can Be Funded?
- This grant is intended to improve the lives of animals in experimentation above and beyond meeting their basic needs. Requests for basic husbandry or medical care that should be provided de facto by the institution will not be eligible for funding.
- Refinement requests for nontraditional research settings will require additional justification to be considered for funding.
- Projects that inflict avoidable stress or that require killing animals as part of the methodology or outcome measures will not be funded.
- It is AWI policy that no award funds can be used for indirect costs (e.g., overhead) or for the purchase of animals, unless they will be rehomed (i.e., adopted or retired to a sanctuary) at the end of the study.
- Salaries or stipends may be included in the budget proposal.
- Costs to disseminate results (e.g., conference expenses, publication fees) will not be funded.
What is the Review Process Like?
- Applications are reviewed by two independent reviewers who are not affiliated with AWI.
- Applications are anonymized by AWI staff members before they are sent to the reviewers, and reviewers score each application independently (i.e., without input from the other reviewer or from AWI staff members).
- Reviewers score applications based on the following criteria:
- Compatibility with the award’s aims, scope, and eligibility criteria
- Impact with respect to magnitude of welfare improvement and number of animals affected
- Feasibility/likelihood of success
- Overall merit
- Once reviewers submit their scores, AWI staff members select the highest-ranking projects for funding. The number of projects funded in any given year depends on funding availability.
If you are interested in being an independent reviewer, please contact us at [email protected]. Reviewers cannot submit project proposals for funding in the same year that they are reviewing.
Additional Information
- Grant recipients must agree to submit a 250-word summary and photograph(s) describing the refinement implementation process and results. This summary may be edited for potential publication, with the recipient’s approval, in the AWI Quarterly magazine.
- If IACUC or ACC approval is needed, award recipients will need to provide their approved IACUC or ACC protocol title and number before funds will be disbursed.
For additional information, please contact [email protected].
- Dr. Diana Coulon of Pennington Biomedical Research Center to purchase materials that allow rodents to climb and perch, encouraging species-specific behaviors and providing new places to explore and hide.
- Ioan Cozma of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre to purchase tree branches for marmoset cages to promote natural wood-gnawing behaviors.
- Joshua Ejdelman of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre to purchase quieter and lower-vibration wheels for carts to reduce animal stress as they are transported within facilities.
- Tania Liboiron of the University of Saskatchewan to purchase large, double-decker cages with interlinking tubes and enrichment tools, such as activity wheels and huts, to offer rats social housing without overcrowding.
- Dr. Kerith Luchins of the University of Chicago to purchase handling tunnels for mice and expand their use campus-wide to reduce animal anxiety and improve welfare.
- Dr. Carly Moody of the University of California, Davis to purchase elevated platforms and shelters for mice and create educational infographics about the benefits of these enrichment items.
- Dr. Vanessa Oliver of the University of Calgary to purchase pens, toys, and shelters to implement an exercise program for rabbits institution-wide that will improve their physical and mental health.
- Jenna Owens of Texas Biomedical Research Institute to build cooperative enrichment items for singly housed primates, including tug-of-war units, puzzle feeders, and interactive touchscreen tablets, to encourage social interaction and play between animals housed next to each other.
- Dr. Sarah Baert of the University of Guelph for establishing a positive reinforcement training program that allows rats to live in a free-range system and be caught and handled easily.
- Dr. Courtney Glavis-Bloom of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies for purchasing touchscreen computers to promote an enriching environment and measure cognitive decline in marmosets.
- Anna Jimenez and Dr. Marie-Chantal Giroux of McGill University for purchasing transparent handling tunnels as a less-stressful alternative to picking up mice by their tails.
- Dr. Kathy Lapointe of the University of Montreal for developing and implementing a physical therapy program to reduce muscle atrophy and increase psychological stimulation among cats, dogs, and horses used for teaching at the university’s veterinary school.
- Rochelle Moore of the University of Utah for purchasing a 3D printer to print custom caps that cover and protect cranial implants and surrounding tissue in rhesus macaques.
- Dr. Catherine Schuppli of the University of British Columbia for purchasing larger cages and enrichment activities for rats and mice to engage in burrowing, climbing, and exploration.