Institutional Animal Care

Forms & Templates

Electronic Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (eIACUC) Applications

Faculty, researchers and staff can now electronically complete and submit to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols online via the Electronic IACUC (eIACUC) system. eIACUC is located within the Division of Research Integrity & Compliance (DRIC) Applications for Research Compliance (ARC) platform.

Starting January 1, 2013 all new IACUC research protocols MUST be submitted through the eIACUC within the ARC platform. We no longer accept any new IACUC protocol submitted on "paper".

The eIACUC can be accessed at in the ARC Portal.

The new system will allow faculty, researchers and staff to submit new animal protocols, and to modify these new protocols. Modifications can be made by submitting protocol change requests, and study team updates. Other online submissions for electronic protocols include annual reviews and three year renewals.

IACUC protocols that were originally approved on paper prior to December 31, 2012, will continue to use paper submissions for procedural changes and amendments.

Prior to submitting your first eIACUC application you must first request an ARC account unless you already have one. This is a simple process:

  • Go to the ARC Portal to request an ARC account.
  • Questions regarding ARC registration can be directed to 974-2880 or by email.
  • Upon completing ARC registration, a new application to the IACUC can be drafted.

Common eIACUC Application Format

A single, common eIACUC application format is used for proposing all study types involving animals, including research, teaching, wildlife in natural settings, murine colonies only, antisera production only, or animal tissue use only.

Applicants will indicate the type of study being proposed to the IACUC under item 3.1.1 of the common eIACUC application.

IACUC Certification of Personnel Required for Protocol Approval

eIACUC applications can be proposed to the IACUC, but will only secure IACUC approval after all personnel contributing to the proposed study have been certified by the IACUC as having adequate knowledge and experience to perform their duties.

Instructions for IACUC Certification of Personnel Using Animals or Animal Tissues (MS Word)

VA Merit Applications-ACORP

Principal Investigators developing applications for VA funded Merit Review grants must submit the animal component for their research project to the IACUC using the VA ACORP. The ACORP version 3 is being replaced by ACORP version 4. Please note that beginning May 1, 2013, the USF IACUC will no longer accept and process the previous ACORP version 3.

VA ACORP forms are located on the VA Research & Development website.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form for ACORP Submissions

For all VA paper ACORP submissions, please complete, sign and date the Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form and submit to our IACUC office by email.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form for Animal Research/Teaching Protocols (MS Word)

Assistance in completing an eIACUC smart form

Need Help? There is always a veterinarian available to assist you. If you need help completing an IACUC application, or assistance in incorporating suggested revisions to your draft IACUC application, contact:

There are Help Texts throughout the common eIACUC application providing guidance, suggestions, and template responses (e.g., mouse imaging using MRI, CT/PET/SPECT, ultrasound, bioluminescence, fluorescence) that will assist you with your input.

Grant Information

How many grants can be used on a single protocol?

  • A single IACUC protocol cannot be used to represent the animal use activities of multiple federal or major agency research grants or contracts each with budgets to purchase, maintain, and use animals. Only one protocol per federal or major agency research grant.

How many protocols can be used on a single grant?

  • A single research grant or contract may be represented by more than one IACUC-approved protocol.

If an activity involving animals that is described in an IACUC-approved protocol is supported by multiple grants with different titles (e.g., one research grant, one postdoctoral fellowship, and departmental funds), the PI must inform the IACUC by submitting a Request to Amend an Animal Use Protocol form.

If a grant not originally declared in the IACUC application is awarded later during the 3-year approval period of the protocol (i.e., grant not funded during year one of the protocol, but awarded during year two), the PI must inform the IACUC by submitting a Request to Amend an Animal Use Protocol form.

IACUC Protocols with Federal or Major Agency Funding:

Approval of an IACUC protocol application other than an Application to Establish/Maintain a Mouse Colony with proposed support from a federal or major funding agency is contingent on comparable protocol and proposal titles and narratives. IACUC Protocol Applications with Federal or Major Agency Funding must be accompanied by four pages from the grant proposal as described below. These must be uploaded directly into the eIACUC system.

  • Face Page of form PHS 398 (or a similar page) that shows that the grant title and name of the Principal Investigator match those of the IACUC protocol application,
  • Page 2 form PHS 398 (or a similar page) wherein the project description in abstract form summarizes the scope of work to which the purpose(s) and procedure(s) described in items 7 and 8 on page 2 of the IACUC protocol will contribute,
  • First Page of the Research Plan (or a similar page) that includes the Specific Aims of the research. Note that the IACUC protocol must represent an aspect of the broad long-term objectives of the grant proposal.
  • Section F, Item 1 of the Research Plan of format PHS 398 (or a similar page) wherein a description of the proposed use of the animals and the species of animals to be used are identified.
  • Any communication/documentation from/with the granting/funding agency indicating a change in the direction of research that would affect how animals are used.

These grant application pages may be submitted to the IACUC electronically via eIACUC.

Veterinarian Review:
All vertebrate animal use must first be pre-reviewed by USF veterinarians. In the eIACUC online system once the smart forms are completed electronically they can be submitted directly to the veterinarian from within the system. In addition you can contact veterinarian via e-mail address to Comparative Medicine, telephone (813) 974-9796, and fax (813) 974-9432. If you need help completing an eIACUC application, or assistance in incorporating suggested revisions to your eIACUC application, contact Robert Engelman by email or telephone at 813-735-9832.

Murine Colonies:
Colonies of mice and all mice created locally by methods of genetic engineering involving recombinant DNA (rDNA) must first be represented by an IACUC-approved Application to Establish/Maintain a Murine Colony that can be submitted via online eIACUC process.

Vertebrate Animal Section (VAS) for Grant Applications to the NIH
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) has developed a new factsheet to assist applicants in completing the Vertebrate Animal Section (VAS) of grant applications, contract proposals and cooperative agreements for submission to the NIH. Here you will find an overview of the requirements for each of the 5 points of the VAS.

Mouse Colony Protocols with Any Source of Funding
An electronic Application to Establish/Maintain a Murine Colony need not be accompanied by a grant proposal regardless of the proposed source of funding.

IACUC Protocols with Other Funding
IACUC protocol applications with other proposed sources of funding need not be accompanied by a grant proposal, but Comparative Medicine will not fill requests for animals or service under a specific IACUC-approved protocol until an association between fiscal support, an IACUC protocol, and an account or purchase order number is assured in writing. A Research Services Agreement and/or a letter on company letterhead indicating a commitment to fund a proposal may be used to document corporate support. A memorandum from the departmental Chairperson or other signature authority on the account may be used to document departmental support of a proposal.

Please address questions to IACUC by email or telephone: (813) 974-7106 or fax: (813) 974-7091.

Satellite Animal Facility Disaster Response Plan
Applications proposing to house animals for greater than 12 hours at satellite facilities outside of Comparative Medicine‐managed animal facilities must describe in appropriate sections of the application (e.g., "Special Husbandry") an emergency/disaster response plan that takes into account both personnel and animals safety during emergency/disaster.

PI must upload in section 13 (i.e., section for Housing at Satellite Locations) a Satellite Animal Facility Disaster Response Plan. Template for Satellite Animal Facility Disaster Response Plan (PDF).

The plan should include specific measures/provisions and indicate whether if the building is planned for lock-down due to an approaching storm, the study will not be initiated or animals will be euthanized preemptively.

Changes to an approved IACUC Protocol

Faculty, researchers and staff must secure approval for any changes prosed to an approved IACAUC protocols prior to implementing any change. Any change proposed to an IACUC-approved protocol must be within the scope of the original hypothesis and/or purpose of animal use.

Appropriate Formats for Proposing Changes to an Approved Protocol

Faculty, researchers and staff should use one of two formats for proposing amendments or revisions to an IACUC-approved protocol.

  1. If the original application was drafted using the paper IACUC application, use the paper request forms provided below for proposing changes to an IACUC-approved protocol.
  2. If the original application was drafted using the electronic IACUC (eIACUC) application, use the ARC system described below for proposing changes to an IACUC-approved protocol.

Proposing Changes to an eIACUC Protocol

Faculty, researchers and staff should use the ARC system and eIACUC modification process whenever proposing amendments or revisions to an approved eIACUC protocol.

The "Electronic IACUC (eIACUC) Application Instructional Manual" provides detailed instructions regarding use of the ARC system and processes applicants use when proposing modifications to an existing eIACUC protocol. This manual and other eIACUC training resources are viewable at eIACUC Training.