This workshop is organized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP), in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI); National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); National Institute on Aging (NIA); National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK); and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).
The workshop will be a forum to discuss the current status of and needs for understanding extrinsic environmental factors; their potential impact on animal research outcomes; and how facilities may optimally manage, monitor, and report these extrinsic factors in an effort to enhance reproducibility and rigor in animal research. The focus of this workshop will be on identifying gaps, opportunities, and new approaches in husbandry of commonly and widely used animal models; relevant environmental factors and conditions; and the need for novel instruments, equipment, and infrastructure for animal research core facilities (e.g., modern design of research core facilities, high-throughput equipment, telemetry for behavioral research).