Biomedical Services

Our mission is to support science of the highest quality by educating and training University researchers working with animals, in a spirit of compassion and respect for animal welfare. Our goal is to deliver outstanding veterinary and research support services to our clients and constantly to improve the level of these services.

The Biomedical Services Department encompasses a number of different functions within the University. The Head of Department is the Director of Biomedical Services.

The various functions of the department can be summarised as follows -

• The provision of care to all the various animal species housed at the University of Oxford and facilities and resources for research on animals.
• Running training courses for licensees and others working under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
• Acting as Named Animal Care and Welfare Officers under the Animals (Scientifc Procedures) Act 1986 to all the University’s animal using departments. This is a legal requirement for the University to retain its Establishment Licence, which it requires in order to be able to carry out any research using animals.
• A team solely responsible for Home Office liaison and processing of project and personal licences to ensure that research on animals can be undertaken at the University of Oxford.
• Acting as Named Veterinary Surgeon under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to all the University’s animal using departments. This is a legal requirement for the University to retain its Establishment Licence, which it requires in order to be able to carry out any research using animals.
• Providing a clinical veterinary service to all the University’s animal using departments.
• Providing advice and technical support for projects undertaken by University researchers.
• Participating in the ethical review process relating to animal use throughout the University. This is also a requirement under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
• Supervising rabies quarantine areas for DEFRA under the Animal Health Act 1981.

As the level of veterinary service and resources for animal care provided to the scientific community over recent years has increased, so the demand for it has risen. The beneficial effects of this are clear to see in the improved standards of animal health and welfare, producing better quality science and use of animals which can therefore be better justified. All the work is set by the legal requirements to enable the University to carry out its animal based research activity, which attracts substantial funding.