The Animal Experiments Committee (Dier Experimenten Commissie – DEC) judges ethical aspects of projects in which animals are involved. Research projects or educational projects involving laboratory animals can only be executed if they are approved by an Animal Experiments Committee (DEC). The DEC considers the application and pays careful attention to the effects of the intervention on the animal, its discomfort, and weighs this against the social and scientific benefit to humans or animals. The researcher is required to keep the effects of the intervention to a minimum, based on the three Rs (Refinement, Replacement, Reduction).
The Committee consists of 10 members, of which 4 members, including the Chair, are not employed by Maastricht University.
For more information (in Dutch) : www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/dec
2011
The annual report of the DEC for 2011 can be found here: Jaarverslag DEC-UM 2011 (only Dutch)
The Laboratory Animal Science – Annual Report can be found here: proefdierkundig jaarverslag_2011 (only Dutch)
2012
The annual report of the DEC for 2012 can be found here: Jaarverslag DEC-UM 2012 (only Dutch)
The Laboratory Animal Science – Annual Report can be found here: Proefdierkundig jaarverslag_2012 (only Dutch)
2013
The annual report of the DEC for 2013 can be found here: Jaarverslag_DEC-UM_2013 (only Dutch)
The Laboratory Animal Science – Annual Report can be found here: Proefdierkundig_jaarverslag_2013 (only Dutch)