[1] It was founded in March 2008 by Tom Holder,[2] an "energetic young British activist who played an active role in the Pro-Test movement at the University of Oxford,"[3] who moved to the US for the purpose of setting up such a group.

In February 2016 they analyzed the position statements of over 200 research institutions in Europe and North America, concluding that most did not meet the highest standards of openness.

[17] Speaking of Research were among the first organisations to criticise the USDA for removing animal welfare reports and documents from the website in February 2017.

[25][26] At the event, Tom Holder announced the launch of the Pro-Test Petition, which aimed to give people in the US the "opportunity to show [their] support for the scientists and [their] opposition to the use of threats and violence.

The Pro-Test Petition accumulated 11,600 signatures over 12 months,[27] after gaining backing from a number of science organizations including the Society for Neuroscience.

[30] In February 2012, two members of Speaking of Research and Pro-Test for Science, Prof. David Jentsch and Prof. Dario Ringach, won the 2011 AAAS Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award for "their rare courage, their strong defense of the importance of the use of animals in research, and their refusal to remain silent in the face of intimidation by animal rights extremists.