July 2025
Do you know a person or organisation that makes an extraordinary contribution to animal-free innovation and the 3Rs? Then submit your nomination for the Willy van Heumen Prize now! The call is open until 1 September.

The Willy van Heumen Prize is awarded every two years by the Willy van Heumen Fund to a person or organisation in the Netherlands that has made an outstanding contribution to the 3Rs.

The prize consists of a sum of at least €15,000, to be spent at the winner's discretion on animal welfare.

You can nominate yourself or another person by submitting your nomination by 1 September 2025 via email info@proefdierenalt.nl to the Willy van Heumen Fund board. Candidates, young and old, are encouraged to apply. Organisations or departments within organisations are also eligible.

There are many different ways to make an impactful contribution to the 3Rs. Candidates who have made a demonstrable contribution with added value in one or more of the following areas are invited to respond:

• ​Scientific contribution: this may involve scientific innovation in the development, acceptance and/or application of alternative methods, techniques or models, or other significant scientific achievements in the field of the 3Rs.
• ​Education: This could include setting up courses, training, or mentoring students and/or young researchers in non-animal innovations and the 3Rs.
• ​Outreach and communication: This may involve communication activities, publications, media appearances, and so on, that contribute to raising awareness of and visibility for animal-free innovations and the 3Rs.
• ​Networking: This may involve setting up or contributing to networks for young researchers to promote cooperation and awareness in the field of animal-free innovations and the 3Rs

Candidates who have taken a combination of the above routes are particularly encouraged to apply. Those who have proven themselves in this field in other ways are also eligible, provided this is well motivated.