LAA: Laboratory Animal Allergy Policy

NUIG has approved a new policy to protect users of laboratory animals for scientific purposes in all the animal premises. The policy outlines approved practices and equipment that contribute to the prevention of this allergy to occur. The VP for Research in NUI Galway has fully supported the implementation of this policy by covering the cost of the initial basic medical examination of all researchers that attend the scheduled Occupation Health Physician examinations. If you want to be included in the list contact awbnuig@gmail.com.

Start Date of any Project

All researchers, please note that if a project does not begin within one year of their approval date an amendment must be applied for  to extend the start date of the project.

NEXT YEAR IMB FEES

In the revised IMB financial model, the fees that will apply for next year, 2014, will affect only new project authorizations and those have been classified in 4 categories.     Most of our projects here in NUI Galway will be in category 3, which includes projects lasting more than one year. The fee associated to these projects is € 2000 a year, which could be halved should the project only last 1 year. For the implementation of this model the IMB will expect that fee as part of the requirements for project authorization application. Annual fees for projects lasting more than one year will be invoiced in advance of their anniversary. Non-payment of annual fee would be communicated appropriately to the establishment concerned as they will be expected to result in IMB compliance actions. 

The IMB has clarified for us that even if the procedures are performed within a year if the data collection goes beyond that year, the project will still be considered as category 3. This means that the authorization date will start the clock ordinarily and the date of euthanasia will be considered as the date of completion.

The IMB acknowledges the fact that for 2015 the fee model might change although for the next calendar year these fees will apply.

IMB XMAS BREAK!

The IMB will be closed from Tuesday 24th December through 1st January 2014. New and amendment applications must therefore be submitted to the IMB no later than 5pm on Wednesday 18th December 2013 if they are to be validated for assessment before Christmas. Applications submitted after this date will not be validated for assessment until January 2nd, 2014. Please note that the IMB closure times are classified as " clock-stopped days".
Other IMB Announcements:

TRAINING UPDATE

The requirements for an instructor giving training in any Irish licensed establishment that it is not his/her own are:

1. Hold an individual authorization that includes the procedure he/she is providing training on
2. Work under the the confines of a valid project authorization in the second establishment even if not named in it.
3. Work in the second establishment for no more than two consecutive days to a maximum of 5 days per year.
4. Contact the IMB to this regard and get IMB approval.

Any person providing or receiving training for short periods of time in an Irish establishment to attain competency in a technique/procedure must hold an individual authorization whether they are from and Member States or not. The IMB contemplates the issuing of "short term individual authorizations" after evaluating a cover letter outlining the project on which they expect to work, level of involvement, dates, procedures to be trained in, etc. Evidence of specific training or of having a individual authorization equivalent in other country will be seen favorably and might help to expedite the process.