Replacing Animal Research FAQs

Why did we rebrand? Why now?

We were founded in 1969 by trailblazer Dorothy Hegarty, and we’ve spent over 50 years fighting for non-animal methods to be the first and only choice in biomedical research and testing. We’ve had some amazing wins, including the validation of one of the first non-animal testing methods for cosmetics, but there is still a long way to go.

We know that to make this journey a success, we need to be able to change and adapt. In recent years we have found that our name was not supporting our mission the way we need it to.

After careful consideration and consultation with researchers, policymakers, educators, and our volunteers, collaborators, and supporters, we made the decision to update our name and look. We’re doing this to better represent our charity’s work and vision for the future. We want people to know exactly who we are and what we do.

Replacing Animal Research puts the replacement of animals in research front and centre, like we do.

Do you have more questions about our brand and what the changes mean? Please see below for answers to some frequently asked questions or get in touch using hello@replacinganimalresearch.org.uk 

No, our commitment is still to creating a world where no animal suffers for science. This ambition remains front and centre for our charity and informs every one of our activities. We will continue to push forward with our mission to ensure scientists use non-animal approaches in biomedical research and testing.

In recent years we have found that our name was not supporting our mission the way we need it to. Many found the acronym confusing and the full name overly long and hard to remember. We need a name that shares exactly what we do, clearly and concisely, and so the decision was made to move to Replacing Animal Research.

When speaking to different groups about our charity and our work, we found that our current logo is not representative of the breadth of our activities or of the range of animals used around the world. We decided to update our logo to better communicate who we are, what we do, and the range of animals we’re representing.

We did not take these changes lightly. To ensure we were making the best decision for our charity, we spoke to as many different groups of people as we could. Over the past nine months we have launched several surveys, both to you, our supporters, and the wider public. We also spoke to our collaborators and partners to ensure we were creating something that truly represented our work.

Using this information our Communications team proposed a new name to our staff and Board of Trustees – Replacing Animal Research. This name was positively met by each staff member and trustee, leading to a unanimous vote at our July 2024 Trustee meeting approving the resolution to change our name.

Our new name and new look put animals at the heart of everything, as we do. Our logo positions the ‘Animal’ to be moving out of ‘Research’, echoing our hope that one day no animal will suffer for science.

Our new animal imagery expands our representation beyond rabbits to also include mice, the most commonly used animal in procedures, zebrafish, beagles and chickens. We feel these animals better represent the diversity of animals used in procedures around the world.

Thank you for following our work! Don’t worry you don’t have to do anything to keep following us. Our name and @handle has now changed and you will see our new imagery and colours start to come through on our channels. Apart from that nothing will change. We will continue to share our work and updates on advances in non-animal research from around the world.

You will still be able to access all our information on our new website replacinganimalresearch.org.uk and you can let us know of any issues by contacting us at hello@replacinganimalresearch.org.uk

No! You’ll notice emails will now come from ‘Replacing Animal Research’ but you don’t need to do anything. You’ll continue to receive fortnightly updates on our work, replacement work across the globe, and early access to free resources to help you spread the word.

Thank you for your generosity! Yes your donation will still work, the name of the charity has been updated but our bank details will remain the same. If you experience any issues with your donation please contact Catriona at catriona@replacinganimalresearch.org.uk

Thank you for leaving us a gift in your will. Our charity number remains the same (1176266) so as long as you’ve included this in your will you do not have to make any updates.

If you are updating your will, it may be advisable to update the name of the charity to Replacing Animal Research to help your executor identify the charities you wish to support.

The name on our bank account is now Replacing Animal Research, all other details remain the same.

A charity is an organisation registered with the Charity Commission which has a purpose that serves the public good. There are different legal forms that charities can take including ‘companies with charitable status’ (sometimes called charitable companies) or clubs and associations. A Charitable Incorporated Organisation or CIO is a newer legal form created in 2012 which reduces the admin burden for charities as CIOs are solely regulated by the Charity Commission.

We made the decision to register as a CIO to keep our admin to a minimum. Letting our small team focus their efforts where they are most needed.

If an organisation displays a registered charity number and can be found on the Charity Commission register, you can be assured that it is legitimate and regulated.