Animal Use Protocol Guidance
Federal regulations stipulate that no one may use or order animals without being on an protocol approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC).
Our protocol system is web-based and you will need your NetBadge ID and password in order to gain access.
The University of Virginia permits only appointed faculty members to be the Principal Investigator (PI) on a protocol. Graduate students and medical residents may be sponsored by a faculty member, but the faculty member will be the PI of record on the protocol.
Anyone performing animal work needs to be listed as an animal handler on a protocol. Once added, you must complete all requirements (see below for training and occupational health requirements) and become an approved animal handler in order to start working with animals.
The ACUC meets once a month to review protocols. The submission deadlines are approximately 2 weeks before the meeting for existing protocols and a minimum of 3 weeks before the meeting for new protocols. See the ACUC protocol submission deadline calendar here: https://research.virginia.edu/animal-care-use-committee/meetings-schedule-submission-deadlines.