Guidance for Completing IACUC Triennial Reviews

Triennial review is a complete (de novo) IACUC review of the previously approved protocol that is federally required every three years to receive continued approval of ongoing activities on the protocol. The protocol PI will receive email notification when a triennial review is coming due.

IMPORTANT!

• Please ensure you are using the most current version of the IACUC forms: https://ovpr.uconn.edu/services/rics/animal/iacuc/iacuc-forms/.
• All responses must be reviewed and updated accordingly to reflect the next three years of research/activity with special consideration paid to the following sections:

Section II:

• Update the General Protocol Information if necessary (e.g., species, total animal number).
• If any students will be assisting as part of a registered course (such as an independent study), “teaching” should be checked off under “type of project” and the course number should be listed.

Section III:

• Add or remove funding sources from your protocol. Include both external and internal funding sources.
• If needed, update collaboration section. Collaborations that are no longer ongoing should be removed.

Section IV:

• Update the Project Overview to summarize the next three years of research/activity.
• Consider the aims and benefits of the research/activity for the next three years and update if needed
• In Section IV.B, provide a brief summary of what has been learned over the past three years, including any projects/experiments that have been completed.

Section V:

• Update the Description of Procedures:
• Remove any experiments completed or no longer needed. For ongoing or not yet started experiments, add any new components to the experimental description. Update proposed animal numbers and groups in each experiment to reflect the next three years of research/activity.
• If changes to procedures are needed to reflect the research/activities for the next three years (e.g., addition of new procedures or addition of new substances), update those protocol sections accordingly.

Section VI:

• Update the Justification of Animal Use and Numbers to reflect the total number of animals needed for the next three years of research.
• Remove species/strains you are no longer using or add species/strains you intend to use in the next three years.

Section VII:

• Update animal source, age, sex, and other details to reflect any changes for the next three years of research/activity.

Section VIII:

• Update pain categorization and allocation of animals to reflect research/activity for the next three years.
• If there are Category D or E procedures, a new veterinary consult is required (update consult number/date in Appendix E).
• Update Recognition and Assessment of Stress and Distress as well as Refinement as necessary to reflect the procedures you intend to us in the next three years.

Section IX:

• Update Specific Procedures and Studies as needed
• Update Controlled Substances license/registration information as needed.
• Add or remove housing and use locations from your protocol if needed.

Section X:

• Update special husbandry, identification, and transportation as needed.

Section XI:

• Verify that animal disposition and methods of euthanasia are still accurate. Update if needed.

Section XIII (and Appendix C):

• Add or remove personnel from your protocol as needed. Personnel experience and training should be updated as appropriate.

Section XV (and Appendix E):

• All Consideration of Alternatives must be redone at the time of the Triennial Review. Any new procedures or models added to the protocol that may cause any more than momentary pain or distress must also be added to the Consideration of Alternatives.

Sections XVI and XVII:

• Update signature and dates

Other Considerations:

• Field Research:
  • Update field locations as appropriate
  • Verify contingency plan(s) for injured animals are still correct
  • Review and/or update required permit, or indicate if new permits are being obtained
  • Given the target and non-target species that may have been caught/observed in the past three years, review the biological and ecological impacts of the research and update as appropriate
  • Update and provide a copy of your Field Safety SOP
• Update all supporting documentation and appendices as necessary