Please find here the minute of the GA 2009

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SGV Annual Report 2007

Meetings/Training courses

At the 2007 USGEB meeting, a mini-symposium has been organised by SLASA on the topic of „Statistics in Animal Research“
For the 20 year Jubilee of our Society, we have organised in September a joint meeting with the 3RFoundation, the Swiss society for formation and continuous training of animal technicians (VAWV) as well as the group of animal technicians of GV-SOLAS, our German sister society. The meeting lasted two days and its topic was „Humane Endpoints; 3Rs Benefit Welfare“.

Publication

The official journal of SLASA is « Laboratory Animals », as for several other European sisters’ societies. This international journal is published four times a year (see www.sgv.org).

National Activities

SLASA is an affiliated society of the Swiss Union of Experimental Biology Societies (USGEB) and participates regularly to the meetings by setting up symposia (See Meetings/Trainings).

Ethics: One of our board members (Kurt Bürki) is member of the ethical commission for animal experimentation of the Swiss Academy of Sciences and the Swiss Academy of medical sciences. During this year, the commission has worked out an ethical assessment tool for cost / benefit analysis of animal experiments (see http://tki.samw.ch/) and organised a meeting on primate research in Switzerland. An additional SLASA member (B. Riederer) will join the ethical commission.
One of our board members (Kurt Bürki) is member of the federal ethics commission on non-human biotechnology (ECNH) and another board member (Marcel Gyger) is vice-president of the federal commission on animal experimentation.

International Activities

SLASA is member of the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA) and participate fully to different working groups. Objectives of the working groups are establishing and revising guidelines and information on laboratory animals.
SLASA members participate to the following working groups:
The working group „Accreditation Board for Health Monitoring“ (member: Brunhilde Illgen-Wilcke) describes the accreditation process on health monitoring for breeders and experimental laboratories.
The working group „Category A Education Guidelines » (member: Hans Sigg) revises the guidelines for animal technicians.
The working group „Guidelines/Recommendations for Continuing Education“ (member: Walter Zeller) establishes recommendations on training on laboratory animal science.
The working group „Identification“ (member: Philippe Bugnon) reviews current identification methods for laboratory animals and will point out gaps in the field which need more research.

Final reports will be posted by FELASA at www.felasa.eu.

SLASA is also active at the European level through COST action B24 Animal Welfare.

Delegates

One of SLASA board is the FELASA vice-president for working groups. He is in charge of managing them, an important task. SLASA is represented by two members on the FELASA Council of Management. SLASA has also a member on the Council of Management of Laboratory Animals. This member is also on the editorial board of the journal. Finally SLASA has a Liaison Officer of the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS).

Public relationship

SLASA has a website (www.sgv.org) presenting its organisation, objectives, the Newsletter as well as lectures and training courses. Links are proposed to websites specialised in laboratory animal science and animal experimentation.

Grants for young people

Thanks sponsoring of the Swiss Academy of Sciences, 5 travel grants have been delivered for national and international meetings.

Swiss Laboratory Animal Science Association
Prof. Dr. K. Bürki