Annual Reports to OLAW due January 31, 2013

Notice Number: NOT-OD-13-009

Key Dates
Release Date: November 8, 2012

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Purpose

This Notice is to remind grantee institutions that annual reports for the period January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012 are due to the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) by January 31, 2013. The Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Policy) requires Assured institutions to submit a written report to OLAW at least once every 12 months.

Information to be reported consists of any change in the institution’s program of animal care and use, any change in the Institutional Official or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) membership, the dates that the IACUC conducted its semiannual evaluations of the program and facilities, and any minority view by an IACUC member.

2012 Requirement

Effective January 1, 2012, NIH required Assured institutions to base their animal care and use programs on the standards of the 8th Edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Guide). Assured institutions must complete at least one (of the two required) semiannual program review and facility evaluation using the 8th Edition of the Guide as the basis for evaluation by December 31, 2012. It is not required that all necessary changes be completed by December 31, 2012, but rather that an evaluation must be conducted and a plan and schedule for implementation of the standards in the 8th Edition of the Guide must be developed by December 31, 2012. (See NOT-OD-12-020)

Institutions must verify to OLAW in their 2012 annual report that they have met the required schedule for implementation of the Guide as described above. The sample annual report has been updated with a series of statements and check boxes to allow easy verification of implementation by Assured institutions. Please use this sample document for the 2012 reporting period.

Resources

The updated sample annual report for the 2012 reporting period can be found at the Annual Report to OLAW webpage. For additional information, view the OLAW Online Seminar - The OLAW Annual Report: What You Need to Know (Flash).

How to Submit

Email the signed annual report in PDF format to [email protected] by January 31, 2013 (but not before December 31, 2012). If you have questions or need assistance, contact OLAW at 301-496-7163.

Inquiries

For questions or further information, contact:

Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare
Office of Extramural Research
National Institutes of Health
RKL1, Suite 360
6705 Rockledge Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892-7982
Phone: 301-496-7163
Fax: 301-915-9465
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://olaw.nih.gov/