Financial support for animal experiments and 3Rs research in Germany

Budget of the largest German societies for research funding

Billion Euro

Funding recipient

Funding provider

Funding purpose

Reference

Timeframe/ Notes

1,15

MPG

Federal and state government, others

Research funding

1

2021 budget approx. €2.56 billion in total, of which approx. 45% (86 of 192) for biological-medical research groups

1,32

DFG

69% federal government, 30% state government, 1% other

Research funding

2

2021 budget for "annual approvals for ongoing projects" in the field of life sciences approx. €1.32 bn

0,73

Helmholtz Association

90% federal government, 10% state government

Research funding

3

2020 budget €4.96 billion in total, of which €538 million for the research area "Health" + €195 million third-party funds = total €733 million

0,28

Fraunhofer Gesellschaft

Federal and state government, industry

Research funding

4

2021 budget €2.9 billion in total, of which approx. €284 million for the "Health network"

€3,48 B

Budget of individual state-funded animal experimentation institutions

Million Euro

Funding recipient

Funding provider

Funding purpose

Reference

Timeframe/ Notes

26.8

German Primate Center

Federal government, state of Lower Saxony and others

Primate research

5

Annual Report 2020: approx. €10.6 million from the federal government, €8.4 million from the state of Lower Saxony, and €7.8 million from other funding sources

27.7

Research Institute
for Farm Animal
Biology (FBN)

Federal and state governments

Farm animals research

6

FBN total expenditure for 2019

34.6

Bernhard Nocht
Institute for
Tropical Medicine
(BNITM)

Federal and state governments

Tropical medicine

7

Annual Report 2018-2020, figures for the revenues for 2020

30.5

German Institute
of Human
Nutrition
(DlfE) Potsdam-Rehbruecke

Federal and state governments

Nutrition research

8

Annual report 2019/2020, figures for 2020 

37.2

Research Center Borstel
–Leibniz Lung
Center

Federal and state governments

Lung research

9

2021 financing of the Research Centre Borstel 

20.6

Heinrich Pette
Leibniz
Institute of
Virology (LIV)

Federal and state governments

Virology

10

Activity report 2021, figures for 2020 

27.3

Leibniz-
Forschungs
-institut
für Molekulare
Pharmakologie
(FMP)

Federal and state governments

Pharmacology

11

Research report for 2019/202020, figures for 2020

20,5

Leibniz Institute
for Neurobiology
(LIN)

Federal and state governments

Neurobiology

12

Research report for 2020/2021, figures for 2021

103.0

Friedrich-Loeffler
Federal Research
Institute for
Animal Health
(FLI)

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and others

Infection research/animal diseases

13

2017 federal funding

133.9

Robert Koch
Institute (RKI)

Federal Ministry of Health (BMG)

Infection research and control

14

Expenditure in 2021: €133.884.000

82.7

Paul Ehrlich
Institute (PEI)

Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) and others

Approval of vaccines and serums

14

Expenditure in 2021: €82.666.000 

545 M. Euro

Annual budgets of individual state-funded research institutions, many of which conduct animal experiments

Funding of individual animal testing facilities and projects

Million Euro

Funding recipient

Funding provider

Funding purpose

Reference

Timeframe/ Notes

8

Heinrich Pette Leibniz Institute
of Virology (LIV)

Federal Government and State of Hamburg

New construction of the BSL3 animal experimental areas

15

Commissioning in 2022

59

University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart

Federal Government (€23.3 million), State of Baden-Württemberg

"Hohenheim Center for Livestock Microbiome Research (HoLMiR)", animal experimental building for up to 250 cows, sheep, pigs, and poultry

16

Construction planned for 2022-2024; €52 million for the new building, €3 million for initial equipment, and €4 million for large-scale equipment

45.7

Großhadern
Clinic, Munich

Federal Government and Free State of Bavaria

Construction of the Icon Centre (Interfaculty Centre for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modelling and Clinical Transfer) for experiments on genetically modified pigs

17

Commissioning at the end of 2024

35

Medicine Campus
of the University
of Augsburg

Free State of Bavaria

Animal husbandry facility

18

Commissioning of an interim laboratory planned for 2023, main laboratory 2030

Regular funding by Federal and State governments

Euro

Funding provider

Funding purpose

Frequency

Reference

Remarks

8.000.000

Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Funding

Annually since 1980

1,2

Funding initiative "Alternative methods to animal testing": 1980 to 2019, funding amounted to approx. €176 million, i.e. an average of €4.25 million annually; 2019: €6.9 million; 2021: €8 million 

1.500.000

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and others

Funding

Annually

3

Annual funding of the German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) + ZEBET: approx. €6 million for equipment in 2015; since then, annual support of approx. €1.5 million 

400.000

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and others

Funding

Annually

4

Research funding by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment

25.000

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and others

Award

Annually 

4

Animal Welfare Research Award; €15,000 until 2015, €25,000 since 2016

25.000

State of Baden-Wuerttemberg

Award

Annually 

5

Funding award "Development of replacement and supplementary methods for animal experimentation”

10.000

State of Rhineland-Palatinate

Award

€20,000  every two years

6

Prize for the development of alternatives to animal testing

15.000

State of Berlin together with the Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies

Award

€30,000 euros every 2 years

7

Research award for the development of non-animal methods

25.000

State of Hamburg

Award

Until the end of 2019, €20,000 every 2 years
From 2020 - €50,000

8

Hamburg research prize for research into alternatives to animal testing

24.500

State of Rhineland-Palatinate

Funding

At different time intervals

9

Funding of research projects that aim to develop replacement methods for animal experiments

12.000

State of Bavaria

Award

Annually 

10

Annual animal welfare award

200.000

State of Baden-Wuerttemberg

Funding

Annually

11

Research funding "Replacement and supplementary methods to animal testing", 2022: €200,000

5.000

State of Saarland

Award

For the first time in 2020; from 2022 - every two years

12

Research award for alternatives to animal testing

€10.2 M

Regular funding from the federal and state governments

Federal and state one-time funding

Euro

Funding provider

Funding purpose

Frequency

Reference

Remarks

1.100.000

Ministry of Science and Culture Lower Saxony

Funding

Annually, for 4 years from 2017-2021

13

R2N, €4.5 million in total

1.550.000

State of Berlin

Funding

€1.200.000-€1.900.000 annually  2018-2022

14

Institute for Alternatives to Animal Testing

960.000

DFG

Funding

Annually, for 12 years, from 2017-2028

15

3D-Printer, €11,6 million in total

6.800.000

Federal government and state of Berlin

Funding

€34 million from 2019 to 2023, an average of €6.8 million annually

16

Construction of the "simulated human" center for the development of human model systems

425.000

Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Funding

€3.4 million from 2016 to 2023

17

InnoSysTox funding initiative (innovative systems toxicology as an alternative to animal testing)

240.000

70% Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, Baden-Württemberg
30% University of Tübingen, NMI Reutlingen

Funding

€840.000  (70%) (2020 - 2025)

18,19

Establishment of a "3R Center for In Vitro Models and Animal Testing Alternatives" in Tübingen, Germany

883.300

State of Berlin

Funding

€5.3 million in total (2021 - 2026)

20

Funding of the new Einstein Center for Alternative Methods to Animal Testing in Biomedical Research

1.100.000

DFG

Funding

€5 million for 4.5 years from mid-2020

21

Funding of the Graduate College "3D Tissue Models for the Study of Microbial Infections by Human Pathogens".

485.700

State of North Rhine-Westphalia (with 1.2 million €), EU, American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Danish Environmental Protection Agency and industrial companies

Funding

€3.4 millionfor  seven years (2017 -2024)

22

“Leibniz Alternatives" platform for the development and use of alternative methods to animal experiments

143.000

70% Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, Baden-Württemberg
30% University of Heidelberg, ZI Mannheim

Funding

€500.000 (70%) (2020 - 2025)

19

Establishment of the "3R Center Rhine-Neckar" at the University of Heidelberg

143.000

70% Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, Baden-Württemberg
30% University of Heidelberg

Funding

€500.000 (70%) (2021 - 2026)

19

Establishment of the "Interdisciplinary Center for Research on Intestinal Health (IDZG)" at the University of Heidelberg. Funding for personalized analysis based on patient data and individual in vitro models. Long-term goal is the generation of patient-specific 3D organoids.

137.000

70% Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, Baden-Württemberg
30% University of Stuttgart, Robert-Bosch-Hospital Stuttgart

Funding

€480.000 (70%) (2021 - 2026)

19

Establishment of the "3R-US: Ex vivo tumor tissue platform as a substitute for animal experiments" in Stuttgart

141.000

70% Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, Baden-Württemberg
30% University of Constance

Funding

€495.000 (70%) (2021 - 2025)

19

Research and harmonization activities to promote the acceptance of non-animal new approach methods in different stakeholder groups (NAM-ACCEPT)

143.000

70% Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, Baden-Württemberg
30% University of Freiburg

Funding

€300.000 (70%) (2021 -  2024) 

19

Project funding "Overcoming translational hurdles - improving evidence and predictive value in experimental research" at the University of Freiburg. A systematic, meta-analytical approach is to be developed to improve the translation of preclinical studies on spinal cord injuries into application without additional animal experiments.

143.000

70% Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, Baden-Württemberg
30% University of Heidelberg

Funding

€300.000 (70%) (2021 - 2023) 

19

Project funding "Characterization and further development of heterotypic 3D spheroids from head and neck squamous cell carcinomas" at Heidelberg University

28.500

70% Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, Baden-Württemberg
30% Reutlingen University

Funding

€40.000 (70%) (2021 - 2023)

19

„3R-BioMED-Lab" Project learning laboratory for students at 

200.000

University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)

Funding

€ from 2021 400.000 for two years

23

Promotion of two 3R projects

4.100.000

Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Funding

Up to €28.7 million for seven years (2019 - 2025)

24

CompLS - Computational Life Sciences" funding initiative for the development of innovative methods and software tools for bioinformatics processing, modeling, and simulation in the life sciences

2.500

Mainz University Medical Center

Award

Awarded 2021 

25

Science award for the development of  an FCS-free culture medium for human cells

60.000

State of Berlin

Award

Two prizes, €30.000 each, awarded 2021

26

Two funding awards for the development of non-animal methods (NAMs)

2.100.000

State of Baden-Wuerttemberg

Project funding

“SolidCAR-T" project funding totaling €4.2 million from2021-2022

27

Promote the establishment and testing of personalized CAR-T therapies using organ-on-a-chip systems.

250.000

University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)

Funding

Most recently in 2021 for two years

28,29

Funding of three 3R projects with a total of € 500,000 over 2 years.

150.000

University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)

Funding

From 2023 for five years, €150.000 per year

29

3R professorship

max. €21.3M

Stipends, foundations

Euro

Funding provider

Funding purpose

Frequency

Reference

Remarks

15.000

Animal protection research prize of the Felix Wankel Foundation

Award

€ 30.000, every 2 years, mos recently 2021

30

Animal testing replacement award

380.000

set Foundation (Foundation for the Promotion of Research into Replacement and Complementary Methods to Limit Animal Testing),

Project-related funding

Annually; €5.8 million spread over 28 years between 1986 and 2014 = average €200.000 per year, 2021: €379.755

1,31

Financing provided by, among others, the German Chemical Industry Association, the German Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies, the German Cosmetics, Toiletries and Detergents Industry Association, and the German Agricultural Industry Association; since 2010, significantly higher budget thanks to additional funding from the BMEL and the industry associations.

2021: 53 % industry, 24 % BMEL, 13 % others

8.031

Set Foundation: 2021: 53 % industry, 24 % BMEL, 13 % others

Travel grants

Annually; total varies, 2019: €8.031

31

Travel grants for EUSAAT congress in Linz for young scientists

10.000

Set Foundation: 2021: 53 % industry, 24 % BMEL, 13 % others

Funding

Annually

31

Support of the journal ALTEX, which publishes quarterly results from the field of alternative methods research.

40.000

Ursula Händel Animal Welfare Award of the DFG

Award

Every two years €80.000 most recently 2022

32

3R Award

20.000

Herbert Stiller Research Grant from Doctors Against Animal Experiments

Award

First in 1995, since 2019, every two years 2 x €20.000, most recently in 2021

33

Award for innovative scientific work that uses non-animal, human-based methods to study and treat human diseases and makes a significant contribution to medical progress.

473.031

Funding stipends and foundations 

€32M

Total amount for 3R research funding per year