Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

Occupational Health & Safety Program (OHSP) Requirement for All Animal Users
Beginning Fall 2024, IACUC protocol approval will be withheld until the PI (and Co-PI) has obtained OHSP clearance. More details can be found at: Animal Care Requirement for OHSP for Fall 2024 (updated 4/17/2024).

Submit protocols or amendments to umric@maine.edu

The University of Maine is registered as a research facility in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal Welfare Act and the Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The University of Maine holds the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) of the National Institutes of Health assurance for vertebrate animals used in research, teaching and outreach. In accordance with the Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, the University of Maine works with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) of the National Institutes of Health to assure the welfare of animals used in research and teaching.

The Animal Welfare Assurance (1) confirms the commitment that the University of Maine will comply with the PHS Policy, with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and with the Animal Welfare Regulation; (2) describes the institution’s program for animal care and use; and (3) designates the institutional official responsible for compliance.

Animal Welfare Assurance #: A3754-01

Vertebrate animals may share in varying degree many sensory, emotional, and cognitive responses with humankind. It is essential that we assume responsibility for their welfare and that animal use for research or teaching purposes be conducted in a humane, compassionate manner. To justify the ethical costs of using live animals in research, teaching, or testing, there must be reasonable expectation that such usage will contribute to the advancement of knowledge, which may eventually benefit humankind and/or animals. No research, teaching, or testing activities using live vertebrate animals shall be initiated until the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) has approved a protocol for such use.

Contact for IACUC Questions

 umric@maine.edu