Research RS27 - Protocols Reviews - Animal Use

Accessed:	2026-07-17
Purpose of series:	Records series documenting the University Committee on Laboratory Animals (UCLA) and Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) administrative practices regarding care and use of animals in research and teaching, including ethics approvals for research proposals and experiments involving animals.
Scope and contents:	Includes (but is not limited to): animal project protocols, protocol renewal forms, records of ethics approval or denial, amendments, extensions, documentation regarding informal or formal appeals of ethics decisions, reviews and related supporting documentation, animal use data forms, and related correspondence.
Cross reference:	Meeting (agendas & minutes) proceedings and actions of committees see: Institutional Committees (GV12).
Exceptions:

Primary offices:	Animal Care
Primary office retention trigger:	Superseded / Obsolete
Primary office disposition:	Transfer to University Archives
Primary office retention period:	10 years*
Primary office retention instructions:	S/O= review completed, research project completed, withdrawn, closed, or terminated, and all obligations met. *Declined applications: after review completed retain for 4 years, then securely destroyed. *Approved applications: closed once research completed and all obligations met retained for 10 years, then transferred to the University Archives for selective retention.

Secondary offices:	Committee Members, Office or Research Services
Secondary office retention trigger:	Calendar Year
Secondary office disposition:	Secure Destruction
Secondary office retention period:	1 year
Secondary office retention instructions:	All records to be retained for the calendar year (CY), retained for 1 additional year then securely destroyed.

Retention rationale:

Expected Operational Use, Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Guidelines.

Vital records	Electronic systems	Personal information	Official media
Yes	NAS, Romeo	Yes	Paper, Electronic

Approval date:	Last updated:	Edited by:	Security classification:
2021-12-13	2025-02-03 11:10:59	cr618206	Internal

Notes:

Dalhousie University has two units relating to animal care and use: Halifax Campuses - Animal Care and the University Committee on Laboratory Animals (UCLA) under the Vice-President of Research and Innovation; Agricultural Campus in Bible Hill/Truro - Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC). The senior leader oversite for the ACUC is the Dean of Agricultural (see Records Management Signing Authority). 'Animal Care' as outlined in the Primary Office field is for both units.