1. Service Units
  2. Research Integrity & Compliance
  3. Safety in Research
  4. Institutional Biosafety Committee
  5. Institutional Biosafety Committee
  6. New Researchers
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New Researchers

Welcome to UConn!

We’re excited to have you join our research community. To ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations, all projects involving biological materials at UConn must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) prior to the start of any research activities.

 

Getting Started with HuskySMS

Before research can begin, Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) must add your lab to the HuskySMS database; uconn.scishield.com.  Once your lab’s dashboard is set up, Principal Investigators (PIs) and lab personnel can log in using your UConn NetID and password and will have access to the following:

Lab Dashboard

  • General lab information
  • Hazard listings
  • Compliance summary

Training Module

  • Assign applicable job activities to lab members under the “Members” tab
  • Ensures required safety trainings are automatically prompted

Inspections Module

  • Tracks lab safety and compliance inspections

Bio Module

  • Used for IBC registration review and approval (see below for details)

     

    Complete the IBC Registration (Biological Summary)

    All IBC registrations are submitted through the HuskySMS system; uconn.scishield.com. Log in using your UConn NetID and password.

    Bio Profile — from lab dashboard, click “Bio” tab

    • Summary: Overview of lab projects and biological materials
    • Registration Summary: Displays IBC submission status, review history, approval dates, and registration renewal deadlines

    IBC Registration — drop-down lab in left nav, click “Bio Summary” 

    • Initial set up is done using the Biological Registration Wizard which guides you through completing the required forms.
    • Upon logging into HuskySMS, prompts to complete the Biological Registration Wizard can be found at the top of your home page. These reminders will continue until submission.
    • Complete one Project Form, which depending on the biological materials selected, may prompt additional surveys, tables, or forms (e.g., Pathogen Registration Form, Viral Vector Form).
    • Amendments can be submitted by updating applicable sections of the approved bio-summary. Please be sure the registration status is NOT under “IBC Review”. Edits during this stage of review can delay approvals.
    • Once complete, certify and submit for IBC review.

    Tip: Only one Research Project Form should be completed per bio-summary. If you have multiple projects, list them in the “Description of Experimental and Procedural Details” section (e.g., Project 1: …, Project 2: …). This helps avoid duplicate submissions and streamlines the review process.

    Resources

    The IBC Guidance Document provides step-by-step instructions for completing your registration. Additional Quick Guides and Job Aids are available on the EHS website.

    Timeline

    Determining when research can begin depends on the nature of the work being conducted. Once the IBC receives your biological summary, a determination will be made regarding when lab activities may commence.

    See Level of Review Required below for additional details.

     

    Level of Review Required

    UConn’s IBC review process includes two categories, based on the type of work proposed:

    Full Committee Review
    Required for projects involving:

    • Covered experiments under the NIH Guidelines
    • Risk Group 2 (RG2) pathogens
    • Biological toxins

    Administrative Review by the Biosafety Officer (BSO)
    The IBC has delegated authority to the BSO for certain submissions, with notification to the full committee at the next scheduled meeting. These include:

    • Projects classified as exempt under NIH Guidelines
    • Work that does not involve recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules

     

    Submission Deadlines

    To be included for review during the next IBC meeting agenda, please submit your registration by the applicable submission deadline which can be found on the IBC Meeting Dates page.

     

    Questions?

    If you have any questions about the HuskySMS Bio Module or the IBC registration process, feel free to contact us at ibc@uconn.edu.

     

     

    Last Revised: August 15, 2025