IACUC Meeting Schedules   

Penn IACUC Semiannual Inspections

IACUC Meeting Schedules

All "Category A" or "B" protocols and amendment may be submitted at any time. These submissions are assigned DESIGNATED reviewers and the review process starts and proceeds on a "rolling" basis, regardless of the scheduled meeting.  There is no monthly deadline for submitting these protocols.

All "Category C" protocols and amendments are automatically assigned for review by the FULL COMMITTEE at the regularly scheduled IACUC meeting.  These submissions must be received 10 days before the regularly scheduled meeting - routinely the 2nd Friday of each month.  See specific dates below.

All renewals must be approved prior to the expiration date.  It is recommended that, at a minimum, three-year resubmissions be submitted 8 weeks prior to the expiration date and continuing reviews (USDA-species) be submitted 4 weeks prior to the annual expiration date.

Federal regulations and policies DO NOT permit "grace periods", "extensions," or "expedited reviews" for IACUC renewals.  No animal use may be performed on an expired protocol.

IACUC meetings are routinely scheduled for the 4th Tuesday of the month - except for holiday conflicts.  Submission deadline for the month's meeting is one week prior to the meeting.

  * -Meeting will be held off schedule due to holiday. 

 Return to Top

Penn IACUC Semiannual Inspections 

Regulations

Animal Welfare Regulations Sec. 2.31 states that the IACUC shall (1) review, at least once every six months, the research facility's program for humane care and use of animals and (2) inspect, at least once every six months, all of the research facility's animal facilities, including animal study areas.  The IACUC will then (3) prepare reports of its evaluations conducted as required and submit the reports to the Institutional Official of the research facility. 

Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals Sec. IV.B. states that the IACUC shall (1) review, at least once every six months, the research facility's program for humane care and use of animals using the Guide as a basis of evaluation and (2) inspect, at least once every six months, all of the research facility's animal facilities (including satellite facilities) using the Guide as a basis of evaluation.  The IACUC will then (3) prepare reports of its evaluations conducted as required and submit the reports to the Institutional Official of the research facility.

Tentative Inspection Weeks*The Penn IACUC semiannual inspections occur every 6 months; typically at the end of April and the end of October, as outlined below.

* Dates and times of inspections are dependent upon the availability of the Committee members. Several labs and facilities may be included on an IACUC semiannual inspection; the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) will notify these areas in advance of the date of the inspection. 

Penn Inspection Procedures 

Inspection Times: To ensure all inspections can be completed within a reasonable time frame in compliance with federal requirements, the IACUC may be visiting several laboratories and animal facilities on the same day. The time indicated on the notification memo is the start time for that inspection “group”, which could last for several hours; therefore, the ORA and inspectors are not able to predict the exact time that you will be visited on the inspection day.   

Facility/Lab Access: The IACUC inspectors must be able to have access to all the rooms in the area that are used for animal work (e.g. housing, procedures, and surgery).  Failure to do so may result in a deficiency. In order to ensure a productive inspection, the presence of yourself or someone familiar with the animal work is encouraged, but not required. 

Inspection Follow-up: The ORA will generate letters to be sent to the appropriate parties when minor or significant items were identified by the IACUC.  These letters will detail the IACUC’s findings as well as provide a time frame by which the deficiency should be corrected. The responsible parties will be sent this notification via email and then intramural mail.   The Animal Welfare Compliance staff will conduct unannounced follow-up inspections of the areas in which deficiencies were identified to ensure appropriate corrections have been made.  If deficiencies have not been corrected as required, the responsible individual(s) will be contacted to provide an updated correction plan.

 What to expect during an inspection

The purpose of the semiannual inspections is to evaluate the animal care and use facilities and ensure compliance with federal (Animal Welfare Regulations, PHS Policy, the Guide) as well as institutional policies.  The IACUC will visit animal housing facilities, as well as labs and sites approved for satellite housing, surgery and other procedures.  The four main categories of the Guide used to evaluate these areas include:

• Institutional Polices and Responsibilities
• Animal Environment, Housing and Management
• Veterinary Medical Care
• Physical Plant 

The IACUC cannot provide you with a complete list of every specific type of deficiency which may be encountered.  The following links provide some guidance as to the general areas and items which are commonly assessed by the IACUC during inspections. 

1. What the IACUC is looking for during inspections
2. IACUC Guidelines 
3. An IACUC Members Guide to Animal Facility Inspections – this site requires QuickTime
4. Semiannual inspection checklist 
5. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals