Our history
Science for Animal Welfare was founded in 1926 as the University of London Animal Welfare Society. In 1938 we changed our name to the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare and in 2026, our centenary year, we became Science for Animal Welfare.
Since 1926 we’ve been supporting science which has contributed to discovering what matters to animals and developing scientific solutions to animal welfare problems:
1926
Major Charles Hume founds the University of London Animal Welfare Society. The first meeting of the society is attended by two people!
Hume was a visionary who understood that if we are to improve the welfare of animals we need to understand what their needs are and how to meet them. In other words, animal welfare is a scientific discipline. Science has been central to our approach to animal welfare ever since.
1938
The charity is renamed the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) as its membership and influence has spread far beyond London.
1947
UFAW publishes the first edition of the Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory Animals, which becomes the defining reference work in its field and is now in its 9th edition.
1950s
In the 1950s we were instrumental in the development of the concept of the 3Rs; Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of the use of animals in research. The 3Rs are still central to the approach to research using animals to this day.
1928-1958
UFAW campaigns for thirty years for a ban on inhumane gin traps in the UK, achieving legal protection which saved many millions of animals from extreme suffering.
1971
UFAW publishes the first edition of Management and Welfare of Farm Animals, now in its 4th edition and still a key resource for the sector.
1992
UFAW establishes its scientific journal Animal Welfare, providing a dedicated peer-reviewed platform for animal welfare science that continues to grow in reach and influence.
1998
UFAW funds research to investigate novel methods for assessing animal mental states, laying the groundwork for cognitive bias as a tool for understanding the emotional lives of animals.
2002
UFAW launches the University LINKs scheme, building a network of academics now across 156 universities in 49 countries committed to advancing animal welfare science and education
2024
UFAW-funded research and advocacy contributes to the ban on rodent glue traps in Great Britain, with Baker et al.’s work cited directly in the parliamentary process
2026
Today, as Science for Animal Welfare, we continue to focus on supporting innovative animal welfare science and the people who undertake or utilise such research.
Science is at the centre of what we do