EIU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

IACUC Frequently Asked Questions

What must be reviewed by the IACUC?
Who must submit an animal care and use application (protocol) to the IACUC?
Do field studies involving observation of wildlife have to be reviewed and approved by the IACUC?
What is the process for getting an animal protocol reviewed by the IACUC?
How long is an IACUC protocol approval good for?
What are the training requirements?

What must be reviewed by the IACUC?

All research, teaching, display, and husbandry involving the use and/or care of live vertebrate animals, regardless of funding source. 

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Who must submit an animal care and use application (protocol) to the IACUC?

• Any EIU faculty member, staff member, graduate student or undergraduate student conducting research involving the use of live vertebrate animals.

Note: Student researchers are required to have a faculty sponsor as the PI

• Any EIU faculty member teaching a course that involves the use of live vertebrate animals.

A course coordinator can file one protocol for all sections of a course as long as all faculty members teaching the course are named in and sign off on the protocol.

• Any EIU faculty or staff member who is responsible for maintaining a display of live vertebrate animals.
• Any EIU faculty or staff member who is responsible for live vertebrate animal husbandry.

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Do field studies involving observation of wildlife have to be reviewed and approved by the IACUC?

Field studies of free-living, wild, vertebrate animals in their natural environment may be exempt

from IACUC approval if the study does not:

• “Involve an invasive procedure, harm, or materially alter the behavior of an animal under study”.  (9 CFR 1.1 – Animal Welfare Regulations)                  
• Involve the capture, handling, housing, transportation, treatment, or euthanasia of animals
• Cause excessive disturbance of animals due to study activities

If all of the above conditions are met, and there are no other requirements for IACUC approval (such as by a funding source), then Form X, Request for Exemption from IACUC Approval for Field Studies may be completed and submitted to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

The IACUC chair or other IACUC member designated by the chair will determine the exemption status of the study.

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What is the process for getting an animal protocol reviewed by the IACUC?

Submit the following to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (all forms can be found on the IACUC Forms webpage at the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs website):

1. Form A – Application for Animal Care and Use and applicable attachments
2. Evidence of training

Currently, all protocols are being reviewed by the full IACUC committee, which meets approximately once a month during the academic year.

You will be notified if your protocol is approved or requires modifications and re-submission to the IACUC in order to secure approval.

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How long is an IACUC protocol approval good for?

If a protocol is externally funded or involves the use of a USDA covered species, approval is good for one year and the active protocol will need to be reviewed annually.

Research protocols that are not externally funded, and teaching, display, and husbandry protocols will be reviewed every 3 years.

At the annual review, if a protocol is unchanged, or has only minor changes, Form B, Continuing Review of an Existing Animal Care and Use Protocol, should be submitted for IACUC review.

The triennial review or significant changes to a protocol require submission of a new protocol using Form A. 

Any proposed modifications to an approved protocol must be approved by the IACUC prior to implementation. To request a modification review, Form M must be submitted. If changes are significant, a new and complete Animal Care & Use Application may be required.

When a project has been completed or a protocol terminated, Form C, Completion/Termination of Animal Care and Use, should be submitted to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

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What are the training requirements?

Training for Reseachers, Teachers, Graduate Students, Undergraduates Conducting Research, and Support Staff

Training in the Care and Use of Animals

Complete the course “Working with the IACUC” at the on-line training site “CITI Program – Course and Exam” found on the IACUC Trainingwebpage of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs website. All other courses listed in the training program are optional. A certificate can be generated upon completion of all of the training modules in the course. Submit a copy of the certificate to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. For first time users of the on-line training program, a registration tutorial can be also be found on the IACUC Training webpage.

Training in Occupational Health and Safety

Read the document “Health and Safety for Animal Researchers” found on the IACUC Training webpage of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs website. The “Certification of Receipt and Understanding” form found at the end of the document should be signed and submitted to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

Training for Students

This training is for students who handle animals only for class assignments without receiving research credit. It is the responsibility of the instructor to ensure that all training requirements have been met.

Training in the Care and Use of Animals

This training requirement may be met in one of three ways at the discretion of the instructor:

1. Students may complete the course “Working with the IACUC” at the on-line training site “CITI Program – Course and Exam” found on the IACUC Training webpage of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs website.  All other courses listed in the training program are optional. Documentation of training will consist of the certificate generated by the training program. The instructor is responsible for collecting the certificates from the class and submitting them to ORSP.
2. Students may read a document titled “Use of Animals in Course: What You Need to Know” found on the IACUC Training webpage of the ORSP website.  These instructions may also be printed out and incorporated into a course syllabus or lab manual.  The document may be modified and tailored to fit the needs of the course at the discretion of the instructor. The course syllabus should explicitly mention the training as part of course requirements, and questions about the material should be included on at least one quiz or exam.  Documentation of this training option will consist of the instructor submitting a course syllabus and a copy of the training document, if modified, to ORSP.
3. Students may be trained by a method of the instructor’s choice, provided the essentials of proper handling of animals (according to the Guide) are conveyed.  Documentation of this training option will consist of the instructor submitting to ORSP (1) a written description of the training and (2) a course syllabus.

Training in Occupational Health and Safety

Students should read “Health and Safety for Students Handling Animals” on the IACUC Training webpage.  These instructions may also be printed out and incorporated into a course syllabus or lab manual. The document may be modified and tailored to fit the needs of the course at the discretion of the instructor. The course syllabus should explicitly mention the training as part of course requirements, and questions about the material should be included on at least one quiz or exam.  Documentation of this training option will consist of the instructor submitting a course syllabus and a copy of the training document, if modified, to ORSP.

At the instructor’s discretion, students may be required to sign a copy of the form “Certification of Receipt and Understanding of Occupational Health for Students”.  The instructor may keep this signed form as evidence that training has occurred, but submission of the signed form to ORSP is not required.

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