Protocol Submission, Deadlines and Meeting Dates

For assistance with submitting an Animal Use Protocol (AUP):

ACUC Meeting Dates and Deadlines

Submission DeadlineMeeting DateExpiration Date (for de novo AUPs only)
April 27, 2026June 10, 2026June 30, 2026
June 29, 2026August 19, 2026August 31, 2026
July 27, 2026September 9, 2026September 30, 2026
August 24, 2026October 14, 2026October 31, 2026
September 28, 2026November 4, 2026November 30, 2026
October 26, 2026December 9, 2026December 31, 2026
November 23, 2026January 13, 2027January 31, 2027
December 28, 2026February 10, 2027February 28, 2027
January 25, 2027March 10, 2027March 31, 2027
February 22, 2027April 14, 2027April 30, 2027
March 29, 2027May 12, 2027May 31, 2027
April 26, 2027June 9, 2027June 30, 2027
June 28, 2027August 18, 2027August 31, 2027
July 26, 2027September 8, 2027September 30, 2027
August 30, 2027October 13, 2027October 31, 2027
September 27, 2027November 10, 2027November 30, 2027
October 25, 2027December 8, 2027December 31, 2027

Protocol Submission

Any individual with Principal Investigator (PI) or Instructor of Record status wishing to use live vertebrate animals in research or teaching must submit an AUP for ACUC review and approval. An AUP describes all uses of live vertebrate animals proposed by an individual Principal Investigator for a three-year period. The AUP must be fully approved by the ACUC before acquisition, housing or use of animals.

IMPORTANT! Research or instruction using vertebrate animals cannot begin until the ACUC has approved the AUP and/or revision. Likewise, if an AUP approval lapses, research or teaching must cease immediately until approval is restored.

Criteria used to determine the type of review a protocol undergoes is described in the ACUC’s Policy on Protocol Review.

New Animal Use Protocol (AUP) Reviews: All new AUPs will be reviewed by Full Committee Review (FCR). AUPs must be submitted by the deadlines above for the ACUC meeting dates.

De novo (Continuing) Reviews: De novo AUPs may be reviewed by the FCR or Designated Member Review (DMR) process. Regardless of the review type, all de novo AUPs must be submitted by deadlines associated with the expiration date of their current AUP (see above).

Amendments: Amendments can be submitted at any time. Amendment submissions are triaged twice a week as eligible for FCR, DMR or Administrative Review.

  • FCR Amendments: Amendments that require Full Committee Review will be assigned to an upcoming ACUC Meeting based on the submission deadlines listed above on the FCR Meeting Calendar.
  • DMR Amendments: The DMR process take a minimum of one week; however, this timeframe is completely dependent on the response time of the reviewers and PIs.
  • Administrative Amendments: The administrative review process takes a minimum of one day; however, this timeframe is completely dependent on the response time of the reviewers and PIs.

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