From humble beginnings: A brief history of the Bf3R

The German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R) of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) was officially opened on September 25, 2015. But its beginnings date back much further. In 1989, the “Centre for Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments” (ZEBET) was set up at the Federal Health Office, the predecessor authority of the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. The formation decree set a noble goal: to limit the use of animals for scientific purposes to the extent that is absolutely necessary and to develop alternatives to animal experiments. The ZEBET also became part of the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, which was founded in 2002.