Animal Subjects (IACUC)

IACUC Submissions

Any faculty member who plans to conduct research on any animal subjects must first obtain approval from the IACUC. Please submit an email to iacuc@iit.edu if you have any questions or would like to submit an application for review.

IACUC Application Form
IACUC Expedited Review Procedures for Minor Protocol Changes
IACUC Personnel Update Form

Animal Rates and Fees
Medical Monitoring Enrollment Form

Animal Subjects Training

IIT requires all individuals involved in the conduct of animal subjects research to complete initial animal subjects protection training. IACUC approval will be withheld if these training requirements have not been met.
These requirements apply to all persons with a significant role in the research, such as:
•    Principal Investigators, Co-investigators, other IIT researchers, non-affiliates and staff and students

NOTE: Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) and Conflicts of Interest courses DO NOT satisfy the animal subjects training requirement, but are required in addition to the animal subjects courses.

Training Procedures for Vertebrate Animal Research at the Illinois Institute of Technology

The animal subjects courses available through CITI that satisfy the requirements are:

•    Laboratory Animal Welfare
•    Species-Specific Modules
•    Animal Biosafety

Initial Training

CITI Program is IIT's exclusive provider of research compliance and ethics training. CITI courses may be accessed through the Illinois Tech Portal. CITI may also be accessed by signing into OKTA and clicking on the CITI Program Tile on the My Apps page.  To complete required human subjects training, complete the steps given in this document through CITI. (CITI Directions)

Previous Training

If training was completed at another institution, please send a PDF of the training certificate to iacuc@iit.edu to determine whether it meets IIT’s training requirements.

Recertification

Recertification is required every three years.

Please note that a CITI refresher course may fulfill this requirement up to 3 times, and then the CITI basic course will be required at the next recertification.

OBLIGATIONS REGARDING CONDUCTING PROJECTS IN A SAFE AND HUMANE MANNER

PI's are responsible for affirming that students, staff and faculty working with animals as part of a project are qualified or are trained to conduct the project in a humane and scientific manner in accordance with numerous federal regulations, and IACUC and institutional policies. PI's are required to obtain IACUC approval of a protocol before beginning work, and must obtain IACUC approval prior to significant changes in a protocol. PI's also affirm that their project does not unnecessarily duplicate previous experiments.

Report Animal Welfare Concerns

Illinois Tech is committed to the humane care and use of all animal subjects in its research program. As an awardee institution, Illinois Tech abides by PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The university is committed to investigating any reports of animal mistreatment under the care of an investigator. The following resources are available to report any suspected inhumane care of animal subjects.

  • Submit an anonymous report through EthicsPoint. Reports of inhumane care and/or use of animal subjects may be submitted through EthicsPoint. Appropriate action will be taken based on the information provided in the report.
  • Contact the IACUC directly: iacuc@iit.edu. The IACUC will address concerns involving animal welfare. Please note that the IACUC cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality of reports submitted involving animal welfare concerns.

Additional Information About Animal Welfare and Federal Requirements

Multiple instructional videos and websites are available through the NIH Office of Intramural Research that describe humane and proper handling procedures for rodents and other animals. They are available by following this link and scrolling down to the appropriate heading:

https://oacu.oir.nih.gov/training-resources 

Rodent breeding, rodent restraint procedures, rodent blood collection procedures, rodent compound administration procedures, rodent genotyping and identification procedures, rodent survival surgery, rodent euthanasia procedures, and other training resources are among the available topics.
Additional training can be provided upon request by the campus veterinarian.

NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare
USDA Animal Welfare Act and Regulations
American Association for Laboratory Animal Science
Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research

For additional information regarding IIT safety policies, please see the Safety Policy Committee webpage.