CAWSE collaborates to improve the lives of animals and people by generating and disseminating scientific knowledge on animal welfare through research, education and expert advice.

Animal welfare is a globally relevant issue, of increasing importance in terms of food production, sustainability and meeting societal expectations for the treatment of animals, including farm, zoo, laboratory and companion animals. However, animal welfare can be emotive and contested, and to help achieve consensus we need research to provide the evidence on which to base decisions and education for global advocacy in animal welfare.

CAWSE is a cross-campus collaborative initiative, bringing together scientists and educators in animal welfare from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education, the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems, and the Roslin Institute.

Together we aim to maintain and develop our world-leading animal welfare education, building on our current programmes of undergraduate, postgraduate and public education in animal welfare.  We also aim to expand our current research strengths in farm animal welfare to other species, and for our research to span basic scientific understanding of animal function, behaviour, disease and neurobiology to application of practical methods to improve animal lives.

Professor Cathy Dwyer, Director

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