Doerenkamp-Zbinden Endowed Chair in Evidence-based Toxicology

Founded in 1982 on the initiative of its namesakes, HILDEGARD DOERENKAMP and the late GERHARD ZBINDEN (pictured), the DOERENKAMP-ZBINDEN FOUNDATION was created to promote and reward “exceptional achievements in animal protection in biomedical research.” From its inception through the mid-1990s, the foundation focused primarily on reducing the suffering of animals used in experiments, awarding roughly a dozen refinement-oriented grants of up to $50,000 per year for up to two years. Additionally, the foundation has financed the Doerenkamp Chair for Innovations in Animal and Consumer Protection at the University of Erlangen in Germany to enhance the development and use of non-invasive imaging techniques in biomedical research.

The Foundation reorganized to focus exclusively on replacement and reduction initiatives. Under this new mandate, a Foundation Professorship for In Vitro Methods for the Replacement of Animal Experiments has been established at the University of Konstanz in Germany. The Foundation also awards an annual prize for outstanding achievement, above and beyond its ongoing grants program.