Institutional Biosafety Committee

Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) Year-End Report 2018-2019

Website: https://umaine.edu/provost/institutional-biosafety-committee/

Function: The function of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is to ensure that research using recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules, infectious agents or select agents/toxins (‘biohazards’) is carried out in conformity with federal guidelines. Responsibilities and Authority of the IBC: Review and approve, require modifications in, or withhold approval of new research protocols involving the use of biohazards (or significant changes in previously approved protocols).

Membership: The IBC shall recommend to the Authorized Institutional Official (AIO), and the President of the University shall appoint, members of the IBC to three-year terms. Members may be reappointed to further terms. The President may also appoint alternates when desirable. Such alternates shall have the same voting privileges as the member for whom they substitute. The President shall appoint one member of the IBC to serve as Chair for a term of two years. The Chair shall normally be a member of the University’s tenured faculty who engages in research with recombinant DNA or infectious agents and who has substantial experience in the review of research with recombinant DNA or infectious agents. At the beginning of the Chair’s second year of service, the President shall appoint a Chair-Elect to succeed the current Chair.  The Chair-Elect’s role is to provide a back-up to the Chair and to become familiar with the responsibilities of the Chair.  The Chair-Elect shall perform the duties of the Chair in the absence or incapacity of the Chair, and shall serve as Chair during the remainder of the term should the position of Chair become vacant.

The IBC shall comprise no fewer than five members, so selected that they collectively have sufficient experience, expertise, and technical capability to assess the safety of research experiments involving the use of recombinant DNA or infectious agents and any potential risk to public health or the environment.

Current membershttps://umaine.edu/research-compliance/biosafety/institutional-biosafety-committee-membership/

Reports to: Vice President for Research & Dean of the Graduate School