PETA Science Group Celebrates Scientists Who Spared Animals in 2025

It’s the animal-free science awards happening around the world! From providing free training on non-animal tests to spotlighting innovative researchers, check out how PETA Science Consortium International e.V. is supporting those who advanced animal-free science in 2025.

Global experts learned about testing chemicals without using animals.

Thanks to the Science Consortium, this year, 20 scientists from government agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), private companies, and contract research organizations have attended top-tier training in non-animal tests at a globally recognized non-animal testing facility in the U.S. The training, which the Science Consortium sponsors several times each year, helps ensure experts stay at the forefront of innovative test methods that don’t use rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, and other animals.

This year also marked a successful collaboration between the Science Consortium and Colgate-Palmolive to sponsor scientists from India to attend the training. The hands-on course was a resounding success, and PETA scientists are looking into opportunities to help provide more training in India.

These scientists won travel grants to learn from leaders in non-animal methods.

Thanks to her impressive research on using non-animal methods to assess carcinogenicity (e.g., tendency of a substance to cause cancer), a PhD candidate at the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment received the Science Consortium’s early-career scientist award to attend a five-day summer school program.

Students of this summer school on non-animal approaches in science, which is held biannually in Italy, gain valuable insights into the latest advancements in the field of non-animal testing through expert-led lectures and interactive sessions. The program helps broaden their scientific perspective and provide new tools and ideas to enhance and expand their research.

Thanks to travel grants from the Science Consortium, a scientist from the EPA and another from the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency, headed to Rio de Janeiro for the 13th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences.

Recognizing innovative technological advancements in animal-free science!

The Science Consortium presented a Best Abstract Award to a scientist at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia for her development of hydrogel-on-chip platforms that enhance human-relevant research while avoiding animal parts, such as proteins taken from mouse tumors. The winner presented this work at the prestigious MPS World Summit in Belgium.

PETA India, a member of the Science Consortium, also launched an award to recognize pioneers who have demonstrated exceptional innovation, leadership, or impact in the development, validation, or regulatory application of non-animal methods. The winner will be announced at this year’s International Pharmacology Conference in November.

This award honors a PETA scientist for her immeasurable impact on saving animals from a lifetime in laboratories.

In addition to bringing expert minds together to discuss the latest in non-animal test methods, the Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments (SAAE) India annually presents the “Dr. Dipti M. Kapoor Endowment Award” to an early-career researcher working to advance non-animal test methods in India.

The award commemorates the late Science Consortium advisor Dr. Dipti Kapoor, celebrating her ingenuity and tremendous contributions to advancing non-animal testing methods. In her work to modernize science worldwide, Dr. Kapoor saved many animals who would otherwise have been used in laboratories. The winner of this year’s award is a researcher in India who develops 3D bioprinted organ-on-chips and organoids.

Be Part of the Winning Team—Support Animal-Free Science!

For more than 10 years, this global team of scientists has worked with industries and government agencies to replace animals in toxicity tests, published scientific papers, organized and hosted webinars and conferences, and more. The Science Consortium is an award winner itself, having received multiple honors for its important work.