Imperial College London is a world top ten ranked university specialising in science, engineering, medicine and business. As well as being committed to developing the next generation of researchers, scientists and academics it has also become the first UK university to receive an international (AALAC) animal welfare accreditation.
Responsible Research was first contacted by Central Biomedical Services at Imperial College London in 2016 having previously worked with Nikki in a different capacity.
The Challenge: Staff wanted to develop a new graduate course in animal research, however nothing like this had been undertaken before. To progress the idea the 3Rs committee and CBS staff needed support to gain college approval and secure funding to develop the bespoke training content and material.
The Solution: We worked with staff and the 3Rs committee to discuss key priorities, aims and objectives for training. Initially content and recorded commentaries were created for two bespoke e-learning courses, one on Basic Concepts in Experimental Design, and another on Animal Research Integrity. The 3Rs committee were then able to secure funding to develop a bespoke Guide to responsible animal research and implementation of the 3Rs workshop.
How We Added Value: We work flexibly with our clients. Sometimes this means providing ready made training packages that can be delivered within a short time frame. At other times we will need to work together over a longer period to develop bespoke training solutions. In this case we provided tailored material for two e-learning courses that could be launched relatively quickly, before funding was secured to develop the bespoke training workshop.
The Result: The e-learning resources were positively received when launched for staff and students in January 2017. The one-day training workshop runs as part of the Postdoc and Fellows (professional) Development Centre (PFDC) program and is Imperial Graduate School accredited to enable participants to earn CPD points. It has been well attended by PhD students, as well as research staff and received great feedback in both Nov 2017 & Dec 2018. “Fantastic speaker conveys information very well and keeps the attention of delegates. Slides were great and supporting dialogue was very engaging and on target” (Participant - 2018)
Working with Nikki is always a pleasure. We developed a great partnership with her company and her dedication to developing and delivering high standard training is evident in all aspect of her work. I appreciate her attention to details and creative approach to meet the needs of our staff.
- Dr Anna Napolitano, 3Rs and QA programme manager
