Training Requirements for Animal Users

Federal regulations mandate that individuals involved in the care and use of animals in research must be qualified to perform their duties. Please refer to the ACUC Training and Education Policy for the specific requirements at UC Berkeley.

Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Training

  • Prior to starting any procedures, any individual who uses animals in instruction or research is required to be added to the PI’s Personnel Information section of the Animal Use Protocol (AUP) and to complete the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) web-based training. These individuals include, but are not limited to:
    • Principal Investigators (PIs), including those that are in a only supervisory role for the laboratory
    • Laboratory personnel, including undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students
    • Technicians and research assistants/associates
    • Graduate students participating in rotations
    • Students enrolled in courses where independent research with live vertebrate animals is conducted
    • Visiting scientists
    • Volunteers in the lab or with a project
  • The online CITI course takes approximately 1 hour to complete and must be renewed in 3 years by taking a refresher course.
  • It is the responsibility of the PI to ensure that all personnel listed on the PI’s animal use protocol receive appropriate training in animal care and use.

Getting Started with CITI

Optional Training

  • Species-specific training modules in CITI (see CITI section for instructions) may be suggested or required by the PI.

Refresher Course

  • Investigators who have completed the current CITI course(s) are required to take the CITI refresher course when their CITI training expires.

IMPORTANT! Individuals cannot be added on a PI’s AUP until they have completed their CITI training and OHSS.

Training Requirement for Facility Access

  • All requirements can be found on the General Key Card form.
  • In addition being on your PI’s AUP Personnel Information section, you must complete the following training courses to gain card key access:
    • Additional training requirements for access to restricted areas (e.g. High Barrier, Gnotobiotic Room, ABSL-2 & Viral Vector, ABSL-3, Non-human Primate, and Bats) can be accessed on the restricted access form on the OLAC website.
  • Register for course on the OLAC website.
  • All classes are offered free of charge.

Working Safely with Nonhuman Primates

  • Working Safely with Nonhuman Primates is a mandatory presentation for all individuals working with or around nonhuman primates (NHPs). This training is provided by OLAC and covers the basic principles of working safely with NHPs with a specific focus on the Herpes B virus.
  • This annual training must be completed prior to entering a room with NHPs. Visitors (including inspectors), who are accompanied by OLAC personnel, may have an abbreviated training to include basic safety practices.
  • Please request the NHP training course on the OLAC website.

Working Safely with Bats

  • Working Safely with Bats is a mandatory course for all individuals working with or around bats. This training is provided by OLAC and covers the basic principles of working safely with bats with a specific focus on the rabies virus.
  • This annual training must be completed prior to entering a room with bats. Visitors (including inspectors), who are accompanied by OLAC personnel, may have an abbreviated training to include basic safety practices.
  • Please request the bat training course on the OLAC website.

Procedure-Specific Training by OLAC

  • Please schedule training/certifications for:
    • Training on certain procedures.
    • Certification on procedures (anesthesia, surgery, and euthanasia).
    • Observation of a procedure (NOTE: An individual can perform procedures on an animal while under supervision of a trained individual, such as the PI. However, the ability to perform procedures independent of supervision requires observation and certification of competency by OLAC.).

NSF Training Requirements

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course completion is required for ALL students, postdocs, faculty and other senior personnel supported by NSF funds. The RCR training course must be completed before any funding can be awarded. RCR requirements are satisfied via the CITI Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course. UC Berkeley offers multiple RCR courses; select the one most germane to the research. The RCR course completion certificate should be retained for the grant Principal Investigator’s records and should not be attached to the eProtocol application. See Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training for additional information.

Ethics in Animal Research Training Presentation for Undergraduate Students taking a Course using Vertebrate Animals

  • For courses using live or freshly euthanized vertebrate animals as part of the curriculum, all instructors (i.e., Principal Investigators (PI) with approved Teaching protocols) must provide their students with the Ethics in Animal Research training in the first few weeks of class.
  • This short presentation covers the basic principles of animal welfare regulations, ethics and protocol compliance as they relate to animal care and use at UC Berkeley.
  • Please contact the Office for Animal Care and Use (OACU) at acuc@berkeley.edu to receive a copy of the PowerPoint presentation.

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