Animal Welfare Research Network: Building research quality, capacity and impact.

Animal welfare is a major societal concern. For example, in a survey of nearly 28,000 EU citizens, 94% believed that it was important to protect the welfare of farmed animals, and within the UK this proportion was 98%, with 78% stating it was very important to do so (Special Eurobarometer 442, 2016). As we enter a post Brexit era, animal welfare is high on the agenda, with debates on the issue often highly charged and emotive, and open to vested interests and biased arguments. In this context there is therefore a pressing need for animal welfare researchers to provide an objective scientific evidence base and a way to disseminate findings and achieve impact that enhances animal welfare.

The Animal Welfare Research Network (AWRN) was established in 2016 to meet this need. It recognised that animal welfare science is a relatively new discipline driven by a comparatively small number of researchers and encompassing multiple scientific areas including, but not limited to; behavioural biology, neuroscience, physiology, veterinary and agricultural science, epidemiology, computer and data science, and social science. The AWRN therefore provides a mechanism to bring together a diverse range of stakeholders in order to facilitate the exchange of ideas and skills, identify and target key animal welfare issues, and drive collaboration at all levels from fundamental science to implementation of welfare improvement schemes. The AWRN has proven highly successful, with a diverse membership that has grown to 785 including researchers from animal welfare and other related fields, as well as representatives from charities, industry, research funding organisations, policy makers and government. Surveys indicate that members have benefitted considerably by forming new collaborations, improving their research skills, improving their understanding of animal welfare research, becoming more aware of opportunities in the area, and achieving grant funding success. To date, the AWRN has run 4 annual meetings, 2 grant writing workshops, coordinated 16 member led workshops, sent out monthly newsletters, established an active website, and promoted animal welfare research.

In the next phase of the AWRN we plan to build on the successes and impacts achieved to date by progressing the network through the introduction of a number of new initiatives and activities that reflect developments in animal welfare science, funding opportunities, and the needs of our members. These aim to further build animal welfare research quality, capacity and impact and will include: (1) Running a new Kick-start funding competition to drive forward novel animal welfare research ideas (e.g. by supporting pilot data collection, and brainstorming days with collaborators) that lead to future UKRI and other grant applications. (2) Developing and running new Early Career Researcher (ECR) mentoring and lab placement schemes, in recognition of the importance of supporting the development of ECRs to build further capacity and quality in animal welfare science. (3) Engaging in outreach activities to educate and inform the public on animal welfare science. (4) Running annual meetings that address important emerging topics in animal welfare science, incorporating networking activities and workshops (e.g. grant writing). (5) Funding three member led workshops per year to bring together animal welfare researchers and stakeholders / researchers from other relevant areas to address emerging topics of interest, run training sessions, and develop new contacts and collaborations. (6) Maintaining and developing our website (awrn.co.uk) to showcase achievements and impact in animal welfare research, enhance member-only content and resources, and add an international members section. (7) Continuing to grow our membership, with a particular focus on attracting additional industry and charity stakeholders. (8) Exploring future funding opportunities to future proof the network.

Animal welfare is a major societal concern, particularly as we enter a post Brexit era. In recognition of the multidisciplinary nature of animal welfare science, the Animal Welfare Research Network (AWRN), established in 2016, brings together a diverse range of stakeholders including; researchers, charities, industry, research funding organisations, policy makers and government. The AWRN has proven highly successful, with a current membership of 785, providing a mechanism for the exchange of ideas and skills, identifying animal welfare issues, and driving collaborative science to provide an objective evidence base spanning from fundamental research to implementation.

In the next phase the AWRN aims to further build animal welfare research quality, capacity and impact through the following activities. (1) Running a new Kick-start funding competition to drive forward novel animal welfare research ideas (e.g. by supporting pilot data collection, and brainstorming days with collaborators) that lead to future UKRI and other grant applications. (2) Developing and running new Early Career Researcher (ECR) mentoring and lab placement schemes, in recognition of the importance of supporting ECRs. (3) Engaging in outreach activities to educate and inform the public on animal welfare science. (4) Running annual meetings that address emerging topics in animal welfare science, incorporating networking activities and workshops (e.g. grant writing). (5) Funding three member-led workshops per year to bring together animal welfare researchers and stakeholders / researchers from other relevant areas to address topics of interest. (6) Maintaining and developing our website (awrn.co.uk) to showcase achievements, enhance the member-only content, and add an international members section. (7) Continuing to grow our membership, with a particular focus on attracting additional industry and charity stakeholders. (8) Exploring future funding opportunities to future proof the network.