A person carrying out an animal experiment is competent, when he/she has completed a laboratory animal course. Animal caretaker must complete the professional examination or he/she must gain the professional skills with working experience.
In Finland, we are following EU Directive´s (2010/63/EU) minimum requirements to education and training and the requirements for obtaining, maintaining and demonstrating requisite competence for the functions A, B, C and D:
(a) carrying out procedures on animals
(b) designing procedures and projects
(c) taking care of animals
(d) killing animals
Laboratory Animal Centre arranges an on-line course of EU Functions A & D in English for the people who use mice and/or rats in their research. The course gives rights to carry out procedures on mice or rats or both species (according to Finnish Act 497/2013 and Decree 564/2013, and EU Directive 2010/63/EU).
The course follows the EU Modules that are included in Functions A & D (carrying out procedures and killing animals):
Module 1: National legislation
Module 2: Ethics, animal welfare and the Three Rs (level 1)
Module 3.1: Basic and appropriate biology – species specific (theory)
Module 3.2: Basic and appropriate biology – species specific (practical)
Module 4: Animal care, health and management – species specific (theory)
Module 5: Recognition of pain, suffering and distress – species specific
Module 6.1: Humane methods of killing - species specific (theory)
Module 6.2: Humane methods of killing - species specific (skills)
Module 7: Minimally invasive procedures without anaesthesia – species specific (theory)
Module 8: Minimally invasive procedures without anaesthesia – species specific (skills)
Module 10: Design of procedures and projects (level 1)
Module 20: Anaesthesia for minor procedures
Module 21: Advanced anaesthesia for surgical or prolonged procedures
Module 22: Principles of surgery
The course is accredited by
The theory of the course is carried out on-line by e-learning material in Moodle teaching platform and it can be started at any time. The estimated working time to go through and learn the material is about 50 hours. The access to Moodle is given after the participant's registration is checked and confirmed.
NB! Using Moodle requires user IDs of the University of Helsinki and it can take some time to receive them, if you are coming outside of the UH.
The exams are arranged and supervised only on site in Viikki campus about once a month as follows in 2026. The material and the tasks in Moodle must be carried out before the exam.
The exam dates and deadlines for the teaching material in Moodle in 2026:
Mon 19th JANUARY 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 14th January)
Mon 23rd FEBRUARY 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 18th February)
Mon 30th MARCH 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 25th March)
Mon 4th MAY 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 23rd April)
Mon 24th AUGUST 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 19th August))
Mon 21st SEPTEMBER 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 16th September)
Mon 19th OCTOBER 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 14th October)
Mon 16th NOVEMBER 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 11th November)
Mon 14th DECEMBER 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 9th December)
The exam must be passed in order to participate in the animal exercises.
The MOUSE EXERCISES are arranged in 2026 as follows:
Mon 2nd FEBRUARY 2026
Mon 9th MARCH 2026
Mon 13th APRIL 2026
Mon 18th MAY 2026
Mon 7th SEPTEMBER 2026
Mon 5th OCTOBER 2026
Mon 2nd NOVEMBER 2026
Mon 30th NOVEMBER 2026
Practical exercises (7 hours per species) include the handling techniques, procedures, anaesthesia and euthanasia of animals.
The maximum number of the participants in the exercises is nine. Places in the exercises are available on first come, first served bases. PhD-students and researchers working at the University of Helsinki are first in line to participate in the exercises.
Rat exercises are arranged only if necessary; the minimum number of the participants is three in order that the exercise is arranged.
Important notice regarding eligibility:
Due to biosafety regulations in our animal facilities, students who keep rodents, rabbits, or snakes that are fed with rodents at home are not be permitted to enter to the animal housing areas. In this case, you are not able to complete practical components of the course and to obtain full certification. If you are taking this course to qualify for research or internship positions, ensure that you meet all eligibility requirements before enrolling.
The course fee is dictated by the chosen exercises (mouse/rat). For external customers, 25,5% VAT will be added to the sum of the invoice:
UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI
Only online theory 180 EUR
One species 255 EUR
Two species 320 EUR
EXTERNAL CUSTOMERS
Only online theory 360 EUR
One species 510 EUR
Two species 640 EUR
The course gives 2,5 ECTS credits.
Binding course registration between 1st December, 2025 - 13th November, 2026:
Fill the e-form:
Registered students at the University of Helsinki, can register also to Sisu (course code 955003)
Please include to your registration:
1. Billing information (Only registrations with complete billing information will be confirmed!)
2. Are you going to carry out the exercises with a mouse, a rat or both species
3. Shortly, why you need the course. Especially, if you will carry out the rat exercise, please tell, what you are going to do with rats.
The online registrations are checked and confirmed a couple of times in a week. Only forms that are properly filled, will be processed.
Further information:
Those, who are using for research purposes birds, fish or reptiles, or are carrying out procedures on animals on clinical trials (i.e. veterinarians), can carry out the EU Modules 1 (National legislation), 2 (Ethics and 3Rs / level 1) and 10 (Design of procedures and projects).
The theory of the course is arranged in Moodle platform with self-study material and it can be carried out at any time. In order to get a certificate, the participant must pass a short exam (takes 30 min).
Laboratory Animal Centre arranges the exams in Viikki campus in 2025 as follows; the teaching material in Moodle must be completed some days before the exam:
The exam dates and deadlines for the teaching material in Moodle in 2026:
Mon 19th JANUARY 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 14th January)
Mon 23rd FEBRUARY 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 18th February)
Mon 30th MARCH 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 25th March)
Mon 4th MAY 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 23rd April)
Mon 24th AUGUST 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 19th August))
Mon 21st SEPTEMBER 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 16th September)
Mon 19th OCTOBER 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 14th October)
Mon 16th NOVEMBER 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 11th November)
Mon 14th DECEMBER 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 9th December)
The course fee is 70 EUR for the students and staff at the UH and for external customers 140 EUR (+25,5% VAT). When you register, please tell the billing information and the date when you will take the exam.
Enrolment and further information and registration:
Laboratory Animal Centre organizes the species specific course for those, who use zebra fish in their research. The course includes the on-line theory and practical exercises with zebra fish.
The theory of the course is carried out by e-learning material in Moodle and it can be started at any time. The calculated working time to go through and learn the material is about 14 hours.
The course includes the common modules 1, 2 and 10 and species specific modules 3 – 8 on zebra fish (you can see the modules under 'Course for people carrying out procedures'). If you have earlier carried out the common modules 1, 2 and 10, you need only the zebra fish theory, exam and exercises.
Laboratory Animal Centre arranges the exams in Viikki campus in 2025 as follows; the teaching material in Moodle must be completed some days before the exam:
The exam dates and deadlines for the teaching material in Moodle in 2026:
Mon 19th JANUARY 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 14th January)
Mon 23rd FEBRUARY 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 18th February)
Mon 30th MARCH 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 25th March)
Mon 4th MAY 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 23rd April)
Mon 24th AUGUST 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 19th August))
Mon 21st SEPTEMBER 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 16th September)
Mon 19th OCTOBER 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 14th October)
Mon 16th NOVEMBER 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 11th November)
Mon 14th DECEMBER 2026
(On-line material ready at the latest: 9th December)
The course fee is dictated by the chosen parts of the course. For external customers, 25,5% VAT will be added to the sum of the invoice:
Online theory for modules 1, 2, 10 and zebra fish + practical exercise
UH 160 EUR
External 208 EUR
Online theory only for zebra fish + practical exercise
UH 120 EUR
External 156 EUR
Billing information must be included in the registration.
Further information and registration:
Laboratory Animal Centre arranges once a year for researchers the course titled “The use of animals in research: course for people designing procedures and projects”. This course together with the course for the people carrying out procedures on animals and a relevant higher academic degree gives legal competence (according to Act 497/2013 and Decree 564/2013) to design procedures and projects. The course for people carrying out procedures on animals (Functions A&D) must be completed in order to be accepted into this course.
The course is accredited by
The course covers the following EU Modules:
Module 9: Ethics, animal welfare and the Three Rs (level 2)
Module 10: Design of procedures and projects (level 1)
Module 11: Design of procedures and projects (level 2)
NEXT COURSE:
The use of animals in research: course for people designing procedures and projects will be held in the autumn of 2026.
Further information: