UFAW: The International Animal Welfare Science Society
UFAW’s activities in its role as the international animal welfare science society include:
- Publishing the journal Animal Welfare which has an international editorial board, and is a major vehicle for animal welfare science (and related subjects) around the world;
- Organising international symposiums, conferences and workshops on animal welfare science and related aspects;
- Developing and coordinating a network of university and college LINKs around the world;
- Supporting undergraduate, PhD and post-doc animal welfare research internationally;
- Editing manuscripts commissioned or submitted from around the world for the UFAW / Wiley Blackwell Scientific animal welfare book series.
UFAW aims to further develop its efforts to build capacity in animal welfare science worldwide. At its international symposium on 'Science in the service of animal welfare' held at the University of Barcelona, 4-5th July 2013, there was discussion about how UFAW might do this. Three ways were proposed by which UFAW could be very helpful in this field:
- providing further support for regional workshops / meetings (and developing collaborations with relevant major veterinary / ethology meetings)
- providing further research funding at the undergraduate, summer project, level. This can be an efficient way to support developments in animal welfare science (good for students, supervisors and their research)
- providing further funding for travel scholarships to enable scientists (including students) to travel to centres of expertise in animal welfare science in other countries in order to learn approaches, methods and techniques to help them address the problems they face in their home countries
UFAW aims to take these ideas forward and has set aside some funding for this. However, how this will develop depends on raising further funding.
View information about applications for Student Scholarships
View information about applications for travel awards
Applications for support for regional meetings can be made by applying either for a project grant or a small project grant
Advisory Panel on International Development
In order to assist UFAW’s development internationally, an International Advisory Panel is being established to help ensure that UFAW planned activities and developments are likely to be appropriate and effective in their countries/regions.
Three people have kindly agreed to help in this way so far:
Dr Kate Littin, Senior Advisor Animal Welfare, Standards Branch, Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand;
Dr Anna Olsson, Group Leader in Laboratory Animal Science, Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Porto, Portugal;
Dr Marek Špinka, Department of Ethology, Institute of Animal Science, Prague, Czech Republic.
Overseas LINKs
University LINK is a network of UFAW LINK people, members and supporters at universities and colleges around the UK and overseas, reflecting both UFAW’s origins and the tremendous growth in interest in animal welfare science within these institutions.
The aims of the University LINK scheme are to promote animal welfare science and the objectives of UFAW while providing a forum for the involvement of members and supporters. UFAW supports a wide range of activities at these institutions, and their students are eligible for Animal Welfare Student Scholarships from UFAW and Dorothy Sidley Memorial Scholarships from UFAW’s sister charity, the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA).
There are now more than 30 overseas universities, colleges and institutions participating in the UFAW University LINK scheme, with the number growing steadily. Seventeen countries are represented in Europe, North and South America, Oceania, the Middle East and Africa.
View more information about the University LINKs scheme
If you are interested in becoming a UFAW University LINK for your institution contact Dr Stephen Wickens, email wickens@ufaw.org.uk
