An application, or Animal Use Protocol (AUP), must be completed by researchers or instructors who plan to use live non-human vertebrate animals in research or teaching projects. The Animal Care Committee (ACC) reviews and approves all AUPs prior to the study beginning.
Tips for completing an Application
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- Merit review process (Scientific and Pedagogical):
- Any application that has not undergone a peer review through a granting agency or is not funded will need to undergo a merit review before an ethics review is conducted by the ACC. (See ACC016 - Review Process for Scientific Merit and Pedagogical Merit)
- Merit reviews are also required for teaching projects.
- Researchers and instructors need to allow additional time for the merit review process (4-6 weeks) prior to the ACC ethics review of the project. This timeline may vary depending on the number of reviews underway.
- Lay Summary:
- Please include a brief summary (approximately 250 words) of the project written for the general public. Any technical terms should be explained clearly.
- Pilot Study:
- Pilot studies are protocols that use a limited number of animals for a limited time period.
- They are conducted when novel studies and/or procedures are proposed and can help to identify and define humane endpoints, refine techniques, demonstrate feasibility, and/or provide a justification for proceeding with larger experiments. (See ACC034: Definition of a Pilot Study)
- People:
- All personnel who will be involved in use of animals must be listed in the People section and upload their GoSignMeUp (GSMU) animal training record.
- Keywords:
- For the Keywords section, please see the CCAC Recommended Key Words and upload 6-8 keywords for CCAC reporting purposes.
- Justification of Numbers (Statistics)
- To provide direction for statistics, a support document for statistics in applications document and a guide to sample size are both available for researcher use on the Animal Users Teams site.
- Statistical consulting is also available through the Statistical Consulting and Survey Research Unit for assistance with designing experiments.
- Methods and Procedures Section:
- Ensure the Animal Care Committee (ACC) has enough information to be aware of all procedures and include the timing, frequency and duration. Flow charts indicating group numbers is strongly recommended to facilitate an easier review.
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) need to be listed in the procedural table (identified with SOP# and title).
- SOPs are available for researchers and instructors and located on the Animal Users MS Teams site. If you do not have access to this MS team site, please contact the Office of Research Ethics. Please check this site regularly as new and revised SOPs are uploaded regularly after ACC approval.
- Any procedures that do not have an existing SOP, researchers can upload a draft SOP that can be reviewed by the ACC.
- Please keep in mind the ACC meeting dates and submission deadlines when planning your study.
- If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact the Manager, Research Ethics for assistance.