National Biosafety Stewardship Month is a period during which institutions, such as UMBC, are encouraged to focus  efforts on promoting awareness of investigator responsibilities and sustaining a culture of safety/responsibility in life science research.

 For more information and materials about biosafety stewardship, please click on the IBC website or contact Environmental Safety and Health at safety@umbc.edu or the ORPC at compliance@umbc.edu.

Federal policy requires that if you are going to use live vertebrate animals in NIH funded research, you must adhere to the requirements in the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, the NIH Grants Policy Statement and also in the instructions for the PHS398 and SF424 application forms. These requirements state that the specifics of animal use should be described in the grant application. For contract proposals, you should follow the instructions that accompany the request for proposal. 

If you are proposing the use of animals in your research application OLAW has a new podcast  on writing the Vertebrate Animal Section in your grant application or contract research proposal. Dr. Patricia Brown, OLAW Director, discusses why this application section is required, what reviewers look for, and more. 

For more information check out “Writing Your Vertebrate Animals Section” (mp3 | transcript) and other All About Grants podcasts.

The Office for Human Research Protections provides leadership in the protection of the rights, welfare, and wellbeing of subjects involved in research conducted or supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. OHRP helps ensure this by providing clarification and guidance, developing educational programs and materials, maintaining regulatory oversight, and providing advice on ethical and regulatory issues in biomedical and social-behavioral research.

Visit OHRP’s newly designed website at www.hhs.gov/ohrp/ to find the same helpful content and additional information in a new, easy to navigate format. 

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) was approved in 2015 by the NIH Office of Biotechnology Activities. The IBC is responsible for ensuring that all recombinant DNA or synthetic nucleic acid moleculesresearch as well as research with transgenic animals and biohazardous materials (such as bacterium, fungi, algae, potential infectious agents and select agents) conducted at UMBC and sponsored by external/internal funding be performed in compliance with the NIH Guidelines and with proper concern for the safety of research personnel, the environment, and the surrounding communities.

For further information and assistance in preparing IBC applications, please contact us at 5-2737 or compliance@umbc.edu.