Published: 06 Dec 2018 | Last Updated: 10 Aug 2023 10:48:13

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has won the Media Engagement Award at the fifth annual Understanding Animal Research Openness Awards.

Not-for-profit Understanding Animal Research (UAR) works to highlight why animals are used in scientific research. It developed these awards to celebrate the communication achievements of life sciences organisations who are committed to the UAR’s Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK. The awards recognise those who have championed transparency in the use of animals in research, both within the sector and amongst stakeholders and the public.

In a ceremony that took place at the Royal College of Physicians on 3rd December 2018, the RVC received the Media Engagement Award for its work on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and subsequent sharing of this research with the media (see DMD study press release 30 Aug 2018)

This international collaborative research project explored the potential for gene editing in the treatment of DMD with applications for both human and veterinary patients. The project required sensitive and transparent media engagement and the RVC produced a robust communications and media engagement plan that enabled the RVC to secure widespread positive media coverage including a main feature in the BBC News.

Commenting on the award, Jonathan Elliott, Vice Principal of Research and Innovation at the RVC, said: “The RVC is proud to have shared this key piece of research with the public and is delighted that its dedication to transparency in animal research has been recognised by the UAR awards.”

Notes to Editors

For more information please contact:

• Alex Cassells (alexander.cassells@plmr.co.uk)  or Ploy Radford (ploy.radford@plmr.co.uk)
• Press Line: 0800 368 9520

About the RVC

• The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is the UK's largest and longest established independent veterinary school and is a constituent College of the University of London.
• The RVC offers undergraduate, postgraduate and CPD programmes in veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing and biological sciences.
• It is currently the only veterinary school in the world to hold full accreditation from AVMA, EAEVE, RCVS and AVBC.
• In 2017, the RVC received a Gold award from the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) – the highest rating a university can receive.
• A research-led institution, the RVC maintained its position as the top veterinary institution in the Research Excellence Framework (2014), with 79% of its submission being rated as world-class or internationally excellent.
• The RVC also provides animal owners and the veterinary profession with access to expert veterinary care and advice through its teaching hospitals: the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital in central London, the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (Europe's largest small animal referral centre), the Equine Referral Hospital and the Farm Animal Clinical Centre located at the Hertfordshire campus.