Division of Research Offices > Compliance and Committees > IACUC

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC):

The University of Houston established the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), as mandated by federal law, to oversee and evaluate all aspects of the institution's animal care and use program. The IACUC assures that animal research conducted at the University of Houston remains within full compliance with federal, state and local regulations and institutional policies. The President of the University of Houston serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act, and has delegated the authority of appointing the IACUC to the Vice President for Research. The IACUC reports to the Vice President for Research, who serves as the Institutional Official (IO).

The primary function of the IACUC is to assist our faculty, students and staff in upholding the finest care and most humane utilization of our laboratory animals. This is achieved by the review and approval of all projects involving the use of live vertebrate animals by the IACUC prior to initiation. The IACUC, therefore, shares with the investigator the responsibility for the ethical decisions made regarding the care and use of animals. The investigator, however, assumes the principal responsibility, and it is the investigator as well as other personnel involved in the care and use of animals that ultimately assures the fulfillment of the institutional commitment to uphold the values in ensuring the upmost care in the animal-based research at this institution.

To ensure compliance with all regulations, policies and standards in place to protect animal welfare, the IACUC conducts inspections of all areas where animals are housed and used, reviews the institutional program for animal use, and reports its findings to the UH Institutional Official semi-annually.

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Have a concern? Contact any IACUC member or file a complaint at mysafecampus.com.

IACUC Meeting Dates and Deadlines (PDF)
IACUC Protocol Forms
IACUC Policies
IACUC Operational Processes
IACUC Protocol Guidance
Animal Use Research Training Requirement
Q&A: Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
Reporting Form for Unanticipated Problems, Protocol Deviations, and/or Adverse Events
Laboratory Checklist - preparing for an IACUC inspection

Regulations
Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare Public Health Service Policy on Human Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, Eighth Edition
USDA Animal Welfare Act and Regulations

AAALAC Accreditation
Frequently Asked Questions

Useful Links
Animal Care Operations (ACO)