New Animal Ethics Applications & Notifications

All research and teaching involving animals at ANU must be done in accordance with the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (the Code) and the ACT Animal Welfare Act 1992.

The Animal Ethics team provides administrative support to the Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) as well as supporting research staff, managing state and territory licences, and co-ordinating inspections of animal facilities. The Animal Ethics Team does not approve ethics applications. Ethics applications are reviewed and approved by the AEC according to the Code.

 

Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) »

Any research or teaching involving animals* has to be approved by the AEC before it can start. This includes observation-only studies (to assess whether the study might disturb the animals' natural behaviour and environment), and may include projects that use animal cadavers.

If you aren't sure whether you need ethics approval, please contact the office at animal.ethics@anu.edu.au.

*Animals requiring ethics approval at ANU

"Animal" is defined in the Code as any live non-human vertebrate (that is, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals encompassing domestic animals, purpose bred animals, livestock, wildlife), adult decapod crustaceans and cephalopods.

The Code, on page 1 under ‘Scope of the Code’, also advises that ‘institutions are responsible for determining when the use of an animal species not covered by the Code requires approval from an AEC, taking into account emerging evidence of sentience and ability to experience pain and distress.’ The ANU, among other Australian universities, has therefore included adult decapod crustaceans.
 

Live animals requiring ethics approval at ANU are:

  • non-human vertebrates 
  • cephalopods.
  • adult decapod crustaceans  
  • embryos, foetuses and larval forms that have progressed beyond half their species gestation or incubation period, or when they become capable of independent feeding. 

 

AEC Submission Dates »

The AEC meets every five weeks to review new proposals and amendments to existing projects. All applications and amendments are also reviewed prior to the meeting and must be received by the Animal Ethics Office four weeks before the meeting date.

 

Before You Apply »

If it is your first time applying for Animal Ethics, visit this page for what you need to do and what you need to know before you get started.

 

Application Process »

Submission instructions, pre-submission reviews, and what happens after you submit.

 

Assistance with your Application »

The Resources, Training and Support page linked above provides information on ways that you can get help with your Animal Ethics application.

  

 

Notifications 

Do you need to submit a Notification or Animal Ethics Approval?

Types of Notification:

  • Notification of collaboration with an external institution
  • Notification of opportunistic animal biological material collection
    • Notification of opportunistic tissue sharing
    • Notification of opportunistic collection of biological material from live animals

 

Notification of collaboration with an external institution

If you are involved in, or plan to be involved in, collaborative animal research work with animal ethics approval from another institution external to ANU, you can provide notification of this work rather than apply for ethics approval at ANU.

Notification of collaborative studies under another institutions animal ethics approval must be provided to the ANU AEC as per Section 2.6.8 of the Code:

Investigators must notify the AEC in writing if they are involved in collaborative studies using animals at another institution, or if they are named in an application to the AEC of another institution.

Involvement includes providing direction, funding or other resources, or working with animals at another institution.

Please note an animal ethics approval must be sought from ANU's AEC

  • if the collaborating institution does not have its own AEC
  • for any part of the work is not covered by the other institutions animal ethics approval
  • if any part of the work is on ANU property (must also have an ANU/ANU affiliated PI)

If you are from another institution and have an ANU affiliation, you can apply for animal ethics approval from the ANU AEC as the Primary Investigator (PI). You will need to advise of your affiliation type, dates, and the application will need approval sign off by the relevant ANU area.  

If you are planning to undertake a project covered by an ANU animal ethics approval on another institution’s property (e.g. an interstate zoo or another university’s campus), you will need that institution’s approval and you may also need a memorandum of understanding (MoU) or inter-institutional agreement (IIA).  

Notification of opportunistic animal biological material collection

Sharing of tissue and use of other biological material from animals is encouraged by the Code and supported by ANU, where parts of an animal or other biological material from animals are shared among researchers or scavenged/used opportunistically.

If you are planning to or have the opportunity to share tissue or collect spare biological material, you may need an ANU animal ethics approval or you may only need to provide notification. It all depends on the circumstances of the biological material’s collection.  

An animal ethics application will need to be submitted if: 

  • animal tissue is specifically created for a project 
  • if live animals are housed specifically for the project’s collection of biological material 
  • If live animals are handled or their welfare affected in some way due to the collection.

Notification of opportunistic tissue sharing

If the following conditions are met, animal tissue or cadavers can be provided from another source from animals that are expected to be culled and you may submit a notification of opportunistic use rather than apply for ethics approval at ANU: 

  • The animals used are truly spare and not killed specifically for the tissue/organs
  • The animals are on an ANU approved animal ethics protocol, or another institutions protocol, and were already going to be culled under the protocol
  • Live animals are not transported or handled in any way outside of the approved protocol
  • The animals are culled using an ANU approved method by a competent staff member and samples for this project are removed after death
  • The animals are not held any longer than as approved on their source protocol or in any way that compromises their welfare.
  • If the animals are GMOs, OGTR requirements for transporting, storing and disposing of GMOs are met.
  • Please note that it is the requesting person's responsibility to ensure facility hierarchies are adhered to.

Please note an animal ethics approval must be sought from ANU's AEC if the sharing of tissue is planned and any of the conditions above are not met.

Notification of opportunistic collection of biological material from live animals

If the following conditions are met you may submit a notification of opportunistic use rather than apply for ethics approval at ANU: 

  • Animals are not held specifically for the project and collection of the material
  • Whether in care or in the wild, that they are not handled, touched or approached in any way
  • If in care, that their routine care is not modified in anyway
  • If in the wild, that they are not disturbed in any way to affect the animal, their environment and/or expose them to predation
  • If animals are on an approved animal ethics protocol, that they are not transported or handled in any way outside of the approved protocol for the collection of this material
  • If the animals are GMOs, OGTR requirements for Transporting, Storing and Disposing of GMOs are met.
  • If animals are held in a facility, it is the requesting person's responsibility to ensure any facility hierarchies are adhered to
  • If there is any impact on the animals welfare in anyway

Please note animal ethics approval must be sought from ANU's AEC if the collection of biological  material is planned and any of the conditions above are not met.

 

 

Notifications can be submitted via email to the Animal Ethics Team on animal.ethics@anu.edu.au regarding the notification process. The Animal Ethics Team can also assist with any questions you may have.

 

Related guidance

Contact

Page Owner: Research Services