Facts and figures
Animal research has been instrumental in allowing medical progress to occur in the last few centuries. Vaccines, and many of the drugs and medicines we currently use to treat cancer, heart diseases and brain disorders, have involved animal research as a critical part of their development prior to license for human use. In addition to benefits for human health, research using animals also allows us to better understand the conditions that affect animals and develop treatments for them.
Facts and figures
The Home Office collates and publishes records of all protected animals used in scientific procedures in the UK every year. These records are published annually and can be accessed on the Home Office website.
As a signatory of the Concordat on Openness in Animal Research, the University of Surrey is committed to being open and transparent about our use of animals in biomedical research. As part of this process, the numbers we publish reflect the number of animals used at the University each year. This includes animals used for scientific procedures, breeding purposes and those humanely killed for tissue only.
Animals used for scientific procedures
These are animals that have been used for experiments under the authority of a project licence. Only individuals with a personal licence are able to carry out these procedures. All genetically altered animals are included in these numbers, even if they are used for breeding or for tissue only.
Animals used for breeding purposes
Some animals are housed at Surrey solely for breeding purposes, including mice and rabbits. Healthy rodents are allowed to have up to six litters during their life span. All rodents used for breeding purposes are humanely killed after their final litter has been weaned.
Animals used for tissue only purposes
Animals used for tissue only purposes are housed at Surrey, but are humanely killed without undergoing a scientific procedure. Tissues are collected from these animals and may be used for a variety of purposes, from cell culture to isolated organ perfusions. Where possible, animals are used for tissue only to reduce the number of live animals undergoing scientific procedures.
You can find the national statistics for scientific procedures on living animals in Great Britain in 2023 on the Government website.
The tables below show the figures for animals used for scientific research and humanely killed at Surrey.
Animals used for scientific research and humanely killed at Surrey
| Year | Number of animals used |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,730 |
| 2024 | 1,875 |
| 2023 | 1,480 |
| 2022 | 1,105 |
| 2021 | 796 |
| 2020 | 592 |
| 2019 | 948 |
| 2018 | 398 |
| 2017 | 601 |
| 2016 | 1,094 |
| 2015 | 1,182 |
Types of animals used in 2025
| Type of animal | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Mice | 1,444 | 83% |
| Rats | 286 | 17% |
Breakdown of procedures by severity classification in 2025
The classifications used in the table below are defined by the Home Office. Read the Home Office user guide to statistics of scientific procedures on living animals.
| Severity classification | Mice | Rats |
|---|---|---|
| Non-recovery | 0 | 0 |
| Mild | 413 | 0 |
| Moderate | 265 | 0 |
| Severe | 3 | 0 |
| Sub-threshold | 622 | 0 |
| Total number of scientific procedures carried out under project licence authority | 1,303 | 0 |
| Animals used for breeding or tissue collection purposes | 141 | 286 |
| Total numbers | 1,444 | 286 |
Number of active project licences
There are currently 8 active project licences.