Top Ten Items to Speed Up Your IACUC Review Process
By Farah Moulvi, MSPH
The following represent the top ten reasons IACUC applications submitted by investigators may be delayed in securing final IACUC approval. Paying particular attention to these will help reduce the processing time of your IACUC protocol:
1. Submit your IACUC Application on the most current version of the form To ensure questions are answered appropriately, IACUC institutes revisions of its forms periodically.
The IACUC will not accept former versions of the USF IACUC application forms. Current versions of the application forms are located on the following website:
2. Sign and Date the front page of the IACUC application
The Principal Investigator’s signature on the IACUC application is the investigator’s assurance statement. This ensures that investigators acknowledge their responsibility for the conduct of the research in accordance with the PHS policy, AWR, Guide, AAALAC guidelines, DEA regulations, and IACUC Principles and Procedures. The IACUC will not grant final approval until the IACUC application is signed and dated.
3. Provide your grant proposal Approval of an IACUC protocol application (other than an application to Establish/Maintain a Murine Colony), with proposed support from a federal or major funding agency, is contingent on comparable protocol and funding agency proposal title and narratives.
The IACUC will not grant final approval for an IACUC protocol until it receives a copy of the grant proposal. IACUC protocol applications with federal or major agency funding must be accompanied by four pages from the grant proposal as follows:
a) Face Page of form PHS 398 (or a similar page) that shows that the grant title and name of the Principal Investigator match those of the IACUC protocol application.
b) Page 2 form PHS 398 (or a similar page) wherein the project description in abstract form summarizes the scope of work to which the purpose(s) and procedure(s) described in items 9 and 11 of the IACUC protocol will contribute.
c) First page of the Research Plan (or a similar page) that includes the Specific Aims of the research. Note that the IACUC protocol must represent some aspect of the broad long-term objectives of the grant proposal.
d) Section F, item 1 of the Research Plan of format PHS 398 (or a similar page) wherein a description of the proposed use of the animals and the species of animals to be used are defined.
4. Procure a current veterinary review USF IACUC requires that all vertebrate animal use must first be described in a draft IACUC application that has been pre-reviewed by University veterinarians.
Request for veterinary pre-review services may be obtained by sending an electronic-version of the draft application to . An IACUC application form may not be placed on the IACUC monthly meeting agenda for review unless confirmation of a veterinary review is procured. The veterinarian provides the applicant investigator with guidance on animal welfare, animal care, along with design and implementation of study proposal. Exchanges between the investigator and the veterinarian before the submission of a proposal to the IACUC may address many of the Committee’s concerns and could help expedite the review process. For submission to the IACUC and inclusion in a meeting agenda, the IACUC will consider a veterinary pre-review valid for 60 days from the date of the pre-review. If submitted to the IACUC after 60 days, the IACUC will require an updated veterinary review of the IACUC protocol application form.
5. Use of lay terminology for IACUC Protocols One of the most common reasons IACUC applications are returned o the PI for revision is a request to restate the scope of the protocol and the animal procedures in lay terminology.
The lay description sections in IACUC protocols originate from the US Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training -US government principle II, which states that “...procedures involving animals should be designed and performed with due consideration of their relevance to human or animal health, the advancement of knowledge, or the good of society.” Since the committee is comprised of both scientific and non-scientific members, it is important to state these in terms understandable by the general public. In addition, medical jargon should be avoided in Section 8 and 9 of the application. Abbreviations and acronyms should be defined prior to their use. Note - Tools are available in MSWord grammar/spell-check options to determine the readability level, or at or at
6. List Personnel on IACUC Protocols An applicant PI must identify all personnel expected to perform procedures or to provide animal care in Section 3 (front page) of the application.
All study team members who are listed as research personnel on an IACUC protocol application form must have a current IACUC certification number before final approval is granted. Additional personnel may be added as needed by submitting an amendment. Please note all personnel involved in animal care and/or use must be re-certified annually by the IACUC.
7. Provide Personnel Qualifications on IACUC Protocols An applicant Principal Investigator (PI) must identify how each research participant is qualified to perform the procedures they’ve been assigned to conduct.
The IACUC requires that participants have the education, experience and training with the specific species. It is the PI’s responsibility to ensure that all participants have the appropriate experience and/or training. Certification of orientation, training, and experience regarding the regulatory, occupational health and safety, and care and use aspects of the species, is requested by the IACUC and is available from the IACUC c/o the Division of Comparative Medicine,
8. Provide Complete Information In IACUC Protocols Common areas that should be checked prior to IACUC protocol application submission are descriptions in Sections text boxes that may be truncated, left blank, or incomplete.
The IACUC will return the applications to the PI for completion of omitted information. Other areas that are often incomplete include failing to give the dose, route AND frequency of the administration of test substances in Appendix B; not listing, individually, each of the different agents (in groups) of test substances in Appendix B of the application; failing to state the length of time of the restraint, as well as the means, when other-than-momentary restraint is delineated; not clearly describing anesthesia, analgesia, and/or euthanasia. The applicant must clearly identify the agents used, route of administration, dosages, and frequency of administration. The IACUC has developed guidelines for completing an application. These are available at If assistance is required in completing an application or incorporating the suggestion(s) provided, please consult the USF veterinarians at
9. Provide Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosures for IACUC Protocols Investigators who submit research proposals to the IACUC must disclose whether or not they have a secondary financial interest in the research being proposed.
A secondary interest is a personal interest that directly or indirectly competes with one's own primary interest. When submitting a protocol for review and approval by the USF IACUC, please complete the Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure Form for Animal Research Protocols. Applications will not receive full IACUC approval until the Conflict of Interest (COI) disclosure form has been submitted for each new application and renewal. The information and the COI disclosure form itself are at
10. Obtain VA Research and Development Committee Review (for VA studies)
Per James A. Haley Veterans Hospital Research and Development (VA R&D) requirements, the USF Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) will not consider, for IACUC review and approval, any draft Application for the Use of Animals in Research or any draft Animal Component of Research Proposal (ACORP) that will involve the use of VA resources for animal research projects until the USF Division of Research Integrity and Compliance (DRIC) has received documentation that the James A. Haley VA Hospital Research and Development Committee has reviewed and approved the animal use application. An IACUC application form will not be placed on the IACUC agenda for review unless confirmation of VA R&D review has been received by DRIC.