Research projects involving the use of animals (vertebrates and certain invertebrates, such as cephalopods) in authorised user establishments require prior authorisation from the Ministry of Health. 

Sapienza University, has established Sapienza's OPBA (Organismo Preposto al Benessere degli Animali), a centralised organisational structure for the management of animal welfare which replaces the previous departmental OPBAs (Legislative Decree 26/2014 which transposes European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes).

Mission of Sapienza’s OPBA

The core mission of Sapienza’s OPBA is to verify and ensure that animal experimentation is scientifically sound, methodologically appropriate, and that the use of animals is irreplaceable. Sapienza OPBA acts as an ‘ethical and scientific watchdog’, promoting full compliance with Legislative Decree 26/2014 in all facilities and departments authorised to house and use animals for research purposes, and issuing a reasoned and detailed opinion on research projects involving animals.

For more details and information, please read the Italian version of this page.