Educational requirements for animal experimentation
It is mandatory to have basic education in laboratory animal science before being permitted to work with laboratory animals.
- Everyone must be adequately educated, trained and competent before working with animals at KI.
- The knowledge must be species-specific.
- The requisite competence must be obtained, maintained via continuing professional development (CPD) and demonstrated upon request.
Legal requirements
The Swedish regulations and laws regulate the care and use of laboratory animals in research in Sweden (e.g., The Swedish Board of Agriculture's animal welfare regulations and general advice on laboratory animals, Article No. L150). They are based on the common directives set by the EU. Laws and regulations on animal experimentation.
AAccording to Swedish laws and regulations and the Directive 2010/63/EU (Legislation for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes), staff working with animals for specific purposes must be adequately educated and trained.
- Function A - carrying out procedures (minor: non-surgical and major: anaesthesia + surgery)
- Function B - designing projects and experiments
- Function C - taking care of animals
- Function D - humanely euthanizing animals (Function D alone is not applicable in Sweden)
Education in laboratory animal science at KI
The Laboratory Animal Science (LAS) Education & Training Unit offers courses in laboratory animal science to students, doctoral students, researchers and animal technicians at Karolinska Institutet and from other scientific institutions. Education in laboratory animal science.
Competence assessment
If you have had previous education and training in laboratory animal science, you need to have your competence evaluated before applying to the course in Swedish legislation and ethics. Contact ntco@km.ki.se or read more here on how to gain access to the KI animal facilities.
In some cases, you may also need the full Function A course or Function B course. If you intend to carry out work or design projects on different animal species, you may need to complete the species-specific Function A or B course.