IACUC Project Types

Summary

There are various types of projects involving the husbandry and experimental manipulation of vertebrate animals, all of which are subject to review and approval by IACUC. These include but are not limited to the following:

Full Description

Grant Proposals

Prior to submitting a grant proposal for extramural or intramural funding, the investigator must use the SPARCS IACUC system to submit the online IACUC evaluation forms. For proposals submitted to NIH, NSF, and related agencies, present policy requires that the procedures in the project be under consideration by the IACUC and approved before any animals are acquired or work initiated. For agencies that have no explicit requirement for review and approval by the IACUC, it is the policy of the university that no animals may be acquired or animal use initiated before review and approval by the IACUC.

Independent faculty research

All independent faculty research with vertebrate animals, including pilot experiments conducted to obtain data necessary to the preparation of an extramural grant proposal require the approval of the experimental protocols and husbandry methods by the IACUC before being initiated.

Field/Biological Surveys

To ensure that the university remains informed of activities that may 1) involve animals on the State or Federal lists of threatened or endangered species, 2) require special permits for handling the animals, 3) bear appreciable risk to human health through contact with zoonoses, or 4) involve use of equipment and procedures that could be construed by some as inhumane, all field work involving vertebrate species in which the animal is harmed or disturbed, should be submitted to the IACUC. The IACUC accepts the protocols described in Guidelines for the Use of Fishes in Field Research (pdf) (Hubbs et al., 2003) (pdf) and Guidelines for the Use of Live Amphibians and Reptiles in Field Research (Hutchinson, 1987) (pdf), Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research (The Ornithological Council, 1999) and Acceptable Field Methods in Mammalogy (Amer. Soc. Mammal., 1987)

If you are conducting a research protocol that is just observation of animals (no interaction) in their natural environment, this type of project is not required to be submitted to the IACUC. For example, this could include a study in which you and a team of investigators are observing turtles in a pond, but you have no interaction with the animals.

• Per OLAW:
  • “If the activity is expected to alter or influence the activities of the animals, then further IACUC protocol review and approval is required.” (https://olaw.nih.gov/sites/default/files/laban51_07_0722.pdf)
  • Studies may be exempt if "purely observational field studies that the IACUC determines are unlikely to alter or influence the biology, behavior or ecology of the study animals or other species. As recommended by the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Guide), studies with the potential to impact the health or safety of personnel or the animal’s environment may need IACUC oversight, even if described as purely observational or behavioral." (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-23-119.html)

Class/Laboratory Research Exercises

Faculty members who supervise class associated research projects may submit a set of procedures for approval by the IACUC from which the student may select to address the research question identified. Procedures not included in those approved for the class instructor, and specific for the laboratory, will require submission of a modification request for protocol evaluation. Students should be aware that this will delay their research and may adversely affect their ability to complete the course in the prescribed time interval.

Graduate/Undergraduate Research Projects

All student protocols, including pilot or exploratory research, must be reviewed by the IACUC and approved before initiation of the work. Student submissions must be cosigned by their research advisor who will have ultimate responsibility for proper training in the care and handling of the animals and any specialized techniques used in the research.

General Animal Care and Use Protocols

The researcher responsible for general animal care and use in any facility must submit a protocol for these tasks (information may be added in narrative portion of the "Additional Information" page of the protocol submission form.) Included under this provision are procedures for animal display facilities, the turtle rehabilitation facility, rodent breeding programs, and other non-research facilities. These submissions must include a list of the species to be maintained and an estimate of the numbers of each animal bred or used annually. If animals maintained or produced under such an approval are transferred to a researcher for use in experiments, the investigator must have a valid SPARCS IACUC approved project number(s) for use and maintenance of the transferred animals and must notify the IACUC of the species and number of animals transferred.