Letter from Chair of the ASC to Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (accessible)
Updated 11 August 2026
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Dr Sally Robinson
Chair of the Animals in Science Committee
5th Floor
2 Ruskin Square
Broad Green
Croydon
CR0 2WF
Email: asc.secretariat@homeoffice.gov.uk
22 July 2026
Dear Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds,
Establishing the Alternative Methods Expert Committee
In April 2026, the Animals in Science Committee (ASC) was commissioned by officials from the Office for Life Sciences to provide advice on the establishment of an expert committee on alternatives to the use of animals in science. This followed the publication of the cross-government Replacing Animals in Science Strategy (the Strategy), published by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Home Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. I am pleased to enclose the advice of the ASC following this review.
The report summarises the findings of the ASC’s Alternative Methods Expert Committee (AMEC) Subgroup following its review of the Strategy, consideration of relevant published evidence, correspondence from and engagement with key stakeholders across the animals in science and alternative methods landscape, and a comprehensive mapping exercise of the current system. The ASC has reviewed the Subgroup’s report and ratified its findings.
The ASC has made twelve recommendations in total. These recommendations focus primarily on the remit, governance, membership and ways of working of AMEC, alongside recommendations intended to improve system coherence and strengthen the implementation of the Strategy.
In summary, the ASC recommends that AMEC should be established as a strategic, system-level expert committee whose core functions are advising, convening, prioritising and horizon scanning. Other recommendations focus on ensuring that AMEC has the governance structures, expertise, resources and partnerships necessary to operate effectively and provide authoritative advice to government.
The ASC would like to recognise that significant activity is already underway to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. However, progress remains hindered by a number of systemic barriers. These include fragmentation across the landscape, a lack of clarity regarding validation approaches in different contexts, and the absence of a clear framework for signalling when alternative methods are sufficiently mature and ready for broader adoption. Taken together, these challenges limit the ability of researchers, regulators, funders and other stakeholders to act with confidence and at pace. We make additional recommendations on the additional collaboration needed to resolve this.
The ASC would like to thank your officials for their assistance during this review. We would also like to extend our thanks to the many stakeholders who contributed their expertise and insights through interviews and written submissions to inform this report.
We look forward to working with your department and partners across the system in support of implementing these recommendations and advancing the government’s ambition to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Sally Robinson, Chair of the Animals in Science Committee