Animal Research CUE Sheet - 07.08.2025
July 08, 2025
Animal Care and Use Express (CUE)Sheet
A bi-monthly (ish) communication with important information to keep you right on cue!
AY 25-26 | Issue 1
July 8, 2025
Although summertime is often equated with rest and relaxation, we acknowledge that many in our community are busier than ever with research, fieldwork, and other commitments. As the fall semester approaches, we feel it is important to update you with upcoming changes and key reminders.
Updates
Update on Summer and Fall Meeting Dates
In our May issue we sent you some reminders for summertime animal care and a list of summer and fall IACUC meeting dates. As a reminder, there is no IACUC Meeting in August! We will use our Designated Member Review process for amendments, renewals, and certain other types of protocols, but if you are designing a new and/or complex protocol, please note that the submission will likely be reviewed at our September meeting.
All of our planned summer holidays have passed, and there is one minor update to our meeting schedule: The September 18th meeting will be held in person on the UMD campus. This should have minimal impact for our researchers as the meeting is business as usual, but this is a reminder for our IACUC members that they should plan to meet in person that morning.
Spring Inspections
Our spring inspections occurred over the month of April and we have been able to conduct a program review to identify action items and areas where we can improve. Generally speaking, our program has improved over the last 2 years thanks to the cooperation and attentiveness of our phenomenal research community! With enhanced data analysis and communications, we are also able to identify trends and brainstorm ways to better assist our researchers even further. We are implementing changes to the following:
Floor Drain Maintenance in Aquatic/Bird Facilities
In an attempt to mitigate pest concerns and facilities-related issues, Jason Lurie will be reaching out to evaluate drain function in your facilities.
Training
DLAR Training: If DLAR Staff is training you for the first time, you'll only be trained on the procedures listed in your Personnel Qualification Form (PQF) or directly related to your approved research protocol. If you want training on any other animal procedures, you'll need to schedule a separate training session at a later time. Training on other topics does not constitute IACUC approval for you to perform those tasks. The protocol must be amended by the PI to include any new procedures you will perform.
Animal User and Occ Health Database: Using our own registry for PI/Animal User Training and a monthly report from UHC, we have created a database to more closely monitor occupational health enrollment and expiration dates for lab personnel. Prior to inspections, we will be able to audit each lab and notify the PI who is associated with their lab and their status for training and occupational health enrollment. Our aim is to reduce administrative burden for the investigators to correct issues identified during inspections.
PI-managed Animal Housing Census Entries
We are in the process of creating an online data entry system with easy access for our PI’s who manage their own animal housing areas. We will work with each lab to create a custom spreadsheet, and once established, census updates will be required at the beginning of each month.
Physical Plant Work Order Submission
During the spring inspection cycle, a new system was rolled out for submitting work requests. In the future, all requests will need to be submitted to Facilities Services Central (https://umdcpready.assetworks.cloud/ready/). We will no longer ask for estimated dates of completion from the PI to satisfy the resolution to their finding, and our FM liaisons will develop a way to check the status of these requests.
Transition to Kuali
Earlier this month you might have seen an announcement from Joe Smith and the IRB Office regarding their shift away from IRBnet to Kuali Build. Aligning with campus support and other groups on campus, we will also be planning a shift to Kuali Build for Animal Study Protocols in the future. We have been planning for over 6 months already and have initiated a process for form-building. Our plan for a Go-Live date is Spring 2027. We will be developing a roll-out plan in the next weeks and are hoping to work with our stakeholders to preview and test some features as we finish drafting the form.
Other Reminders
- A version of these emails and other important announcements are now archived on the IACUC website “News & Announcements” page for your reference.
- DLAR and the UAV would like to remind you to submit all animal health logs when appropriate to dlar@umd.edu.
2026 IACUC Meeting Dates
Due to the variable nature and volume of protocols reviewed in any given month, we cannot provide exact timelines for approval. We recommend submitting your protocol 3 months prior to whenever you intend to start your work with animals.
Meeting Dates | PIs Submit Protocol By | PIs Submit Pre-Review Modifications By |
September 17, 2026 | August 15, 2026 | September 9, 2026 |
October 15, 2026 | September 15, 2026 | October 7, 2026 |
November 19, 2026 | October 15, 2026 | November 11, 2026 |
December 17, 2026 | November 15, 2026 | December 9, 2026 |
*NO AUGUST MEETING | The IACUC will try to send projects submitted during this time to DMR. Those called for FCR will go to the September meeting.
2027 IACUC Meeting Dates
Due to the variable nature and volume of protocols reviewed in any given month, we cannot provide exact timelines for approval. We recommend submitting your protocol 3 months prior to whenever you intend to start your work with animals.
Meeting Dates | PIs Submit Protocol By | PIs Submit Pre-Review Modifications By |
January 28, 2027 | December 15, 2026 | January 20, 2027 |
February 25, 2027 | January 15, 2027 | February 17, 2027 |
March 25, 2027 | February 15, 2027 | March 12, 2027 |
April 22, 2027 | March 15, 2027 | April 14, 2027 |
May 27, 2027 | April 15, 2027 | May 19, 2027 |
June 24, 2027 | May 15, 2027 | June 16, 2027 |
July 22, 2027 | June 15, 2027 | July 14, 2027 |
NO AUGUST MEETING!* | ||
*NO AUGUST MEETING | The IACUC will try to send projects submitted during this time to DMR. Those called for FCR will go to the September meeting.
Fall 2026 PI/Animal User Training Dates
| NEW PI/Animal User Training | NON-PI Refresher Training | PI-SPECIFIC Refresher Training |
|---|---|---|
New PI/Animal User Training is required for all new PIs, students, assistants, etc., who will work directly with animals. This includes all handling, husbandry, procedures, transportation, etc. | NON-PI Refresher Animal User Training is required every 3 years in order to continue working with animals. | PI-SPECIFIC Refresher Animal User Training is required for all PIs with approved UMD IACUC protocols every 3 years in order to continue working with animals. |
| September 15, 2026 at 11:30 am | September 25, 2026 at 10 am | September 23, 2026 at 10:30 am |
| September 24, 2026 at 10 am | October 5, 2026 at 10:30 am | October 6, 2026 at 1:30 pm |
| October 2, 2026 at 12 pm | October 20, 2026 at 9 am | October 22, 2026 at 8 am |
| October 6, 2026 at 3 pm | November 6, 2026 at 1:30 pm | November 6, 2026 at 9 am |
| October 14, 2026 at 12:30 pm | November 17, 2026 at 11 am | November 16, 2026 at 11 am |
| October 22, 2026 at 10 am | December 2, 2026 at 2:30 pm | December 1, 2026 at 4 pm |
| October 30, 2026 at 12 pm | December 17, 2026 at 2 pm | December 14, 2206 at 3 pm |
| November 10, 2026 at 11 am | ||
| November 19, 2026 at 2 pm |