Istituto Superiore di Sanità(Italy)
ISS – Istituto Superiore di Sanità – is the leading technical and scientific body of the Italian National Health Service. Its activities include research, clinical trials, control and training in public health; it also serves as a major national clearing-house for technical and scientific information on public health issues.
The Institute is involved in collaboration and consultation with other institutions responsible for public health, including the Ministry of Health, regional health authorities, local health agencies and hospitals. It cooperates with those responsible for the design and implementation of health and scientific programmes at local and national level and also plays a leading role in several major international research projects.
ISS provides scientific advice and assessments in the framework of international organisations, such as EFSA, EU, IARC, OECD, UNEP and WHO. The Institute conducts scientific research in a wide variety of fields, from cutting-edge molecular and genetic research to population- based studies of risk factors for disease and disability. Research priorities are based on those set forth in the National Health Plan.
ISS is an important and concrete cultural reference of the Ministry of Health for the management of activities related to the application of the Directive 2010/63/EU in Italy.
In January 2017, the National Centre for Animal Experimentation and Welfare (NCAEW) has been established to boost activities carried out by the Quality and Safety Service of Animal Experimentation in the last 25 years. The National Centre for Animal Experimentation and Welfare of the ISS carries out 98% of the technical and scientific evaluation of the Italian research projects involving the use of animals. Thanks to its evaluating activity the National Centre is able to condition nationwide the work of research institutes, both public and private, in order to promote protection and welfare of laboratory animals. Moreover the Influence of the National Centre over animal experimentation in Italy is intensified by the fact the Director of the National Centre is also the President of the National Committee for the Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes.
The Centre is constituted by seven operating units. One of these, “the Office for the promotion of education and culture relating to animal welfare”, is aimed at developing educational quality systems. It promotes in particular the concept of equivalence between the quality of the protection of animals and quality of experimental research on animals. Furthermore, it elaborates cultural and educational models for training in accordance with the current legislation. In 2015-16 it organised ten courses in which there were more than 200 applicants with high-level professional profiles. The courses had a national recognition and provided 18 ECM credits (Italian CPD System). NCAEW also organises international events as in the last October 2016 on “Education and Training”. The Centre approves all the educational and training activities with animals in Italy by surveying the number of learners and the disciplines in which they are trained.
