Guidelines for Animal Research Approval

State, federal and Public Health Service (PHS) regulations seek humane care for all institutional use of animals and require the university's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to review and approve research plans, regardless of the funding sources. 

On this page:

The IACUC Protocol Reviews

  • The IACUC requires that you submit a full application for review every three years, whether or not you have made changes to your protocol.
  • For annual reviews, you must complete and submit a short questionnaire.
    • We will notify the Principal Investigator (PI) one month prior to the anniversary date of the approved protocol.
  • If at any time, you need to change a protocol, you must submit an Animal Use Protocol Amendment Form. The IACUC must approve your request before you make any changes. 

Animal Purchases and Project Dates

  • You may not begin your research nor purchase any animals until the IACUC has approved your project.
  • For continuing projects (annual review, three-year renewal), you may not add animals to the study nor buy any additional animals without first getting the IACUC approval.
  • You must get the IACUC re-approval to continue your research beyond its expiration date.
  • Approved protocols are held on file for three years beyond project completion. 
  • Approved protocols are read by authorized persons at federal, state and accreditation agencies.
The IACUC Monthly Proposal and Revision Deadlines

Protocols must be submitted and ready for IACUC review by the 1st of the month in order to be scheduled for that month’s review.  This includes addressing all questions and concerns in the pre-review.

No exceptions allowed.

Certification Documents

We no longer are required to submit 3 year registration updates, which means we will no longer be issued a USDA Certificate. 

Should you need evidence of our good standing with the USDA click the link above to download the spreadsheet with a list of Active Licenses and Registrants. Filter on DBA name of "SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT BUFFALO".