External Resources

Organizations

U.S. Government Resources:

• United States Department of Agriculture Animal Care (USDA, AC): A program under the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The program’s purpose is to ensure the humane treatment of animals covered by the Animal Welfare Act, among other aims.
• Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC):  Library service established in 1986 as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Agricultural Library (NAL) in Beltsville, Maryland. It provides information, products and services related to the improved care and use of animals in research, testing, and teaching as described in the Animal Welfare Act.
• Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM): A permanent committee of the National Institute of Environmental Health Services composed of representatives from 17 U.S. federal regulatory and research agencies. These regulatory and research agencies require, use, generate, or disseminate toxicological and safety testing information.
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of Research Assurance: Provides oversight, support and educational training related to matters involving human and animal research
• NIH National Swine Research and Resource Center (NSRRC): Established in 2003 to develop the infrastructure to ensure that biomedical investigators across a variety of disciplines have access to critically needed swine models of human health and disease. The NSRRC also serves as a central resource for reagents, creation of new genetically modified swine, and information and training related to use of swine models in biomedical research.
• NIH Office of Animal Care and Use (OACU): Ensures that NIH research programs and facilities for animal care and use are in compliance with federal regulatory requirements and standards, and maintain full accreditation with AAALAC International
• NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP): The Nonhuman Primates Resources offered by ORIP provides an overview of nonhuman primate use in the United States.
• NIH Rat Resource and Research Center (RRRC): Provides the biomedical community with ready access to valuable rat strains/stocks, embryonic stem cells, and other related services that enhance the use of rats in research and shift the burden for maintaining and distributing rat models from individual investigators to a centralized repository where high standards of genetic quality control and health monitoring can be maintained to maximize research reproducibility.
• National Science Foundation (NSF): An independent federal agency that supports science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories, the NSF provides research funding opportunities to:
  • Promote the progress of science
  • Advance the national health prosperity and welfare
  • Secure the national defense
• NTP Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM): An office within the National Toxicology Program focused on the development and evaluation of alternatives to animal use for chemical safety testing
• U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) Office of Research and Development: Improves the lives of Veterans and all Americans through health care discovery and innovation

Additional Government Centers

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)

Non-governmental and International Resources:

• Academy of Surgical Research (ASR)
• American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS)
• American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM)
• American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH)
• American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners (ASLAP)
• American Society of Mammologists (ASM)
• American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
• Americans for Medical Progress (AMP)
• AAALAC International
• Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
• Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART)
• Biosafety Administrators Association (BSAA)
• Board on Animal Health Sciences, Conservation, and Research (BAHSCR)- formerly known as Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR)
• Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science (CALAS)
• Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT)
• Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC)
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
• Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)
• Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS)
• Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP)
• Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS)
• Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)
• Foundation for Biomedical Research (FBR)
• IACUC 101
• IACUC Administrators Association (IAA)
• Laboratory Animal Management Association (LAMA)
• Laboratory Animals Welfare Training Exchange (LAWTE)
• National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR)
• National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs)
• National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
• Norwegian Reference Centre for Laboratory Animal Science and Alternatives (NORECOPA)
• Ornithological Council (OC)
• Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R)
• Scientists Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW)
• States United for Biomedical Research (SUBR)
• Understanding Animal Research (UAR)
• Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) 
• Zebrafish Husbandry Association (ZHA)
• Zebrafish International Resource Center (ZIRC)

Animal Care and Use

IACUC and Investigator Resources

Please refer to the list of organizations for acronyms. Contact the respective organizations for more information on these resources. 

• AALAS Learning Library
• ACLAM Guidelines on Adequate Veterinary Care: Position statements and standards for laboratory animal care and use
• Animals in NIH Research: Overview of animal research at the NIH (webpage)
• ASIH Guidelines: Information on the care and use of amphibians, reptiles, and fish in the field and laboratory
• AVMA Policies: AVMA professional policies provide guidance on the practice of veterinary medicine. Topics include: animal welfare principles; use of animals in research, testing and education; research dogs and cats adoption; guidelines for the euthanasia of animals, and transportation of research animals.
• AZA Animal Care Manuals: Information on the husbandry of most species.
• CCAC Guidelines: General information and species-specific recommendations, including the most common types of animals in the research setting, wildlife, birds, amphibians, marine mammals, and more.
• CITI Animal Care and Use Courses
• Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals
• Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research: National Academy of Sciences, 2003.
• NC3Rs Resource Library: Topics include husbandry, handling, monitoring, enrichment, an experimental design tool, and more.
• OC Animal Welfare Resources: Fact sheets, model protocol, and other guidance
• PRIM&R Educational Resources
• Resource Book for the Design of Animal Exercise Protocols: American Physiological Society, 2006.
• USDA Animal Welfare publications, forms, and guidance documents: Species-specific animal care and use regulations

Contact the respective organizations for more information on these resources. 

• AALAS IACUC Central: Collection of resources of interest to IACUCs
• ALTBIB– Alternatives to Animal Testing: Alternatives database maintained by Rutgers University
• American Psychological Association (APA) Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Nonhuman Animals in Research (2022)
• AWIC Animal Use Alternatives (3Rs) webpage: Resource page maintained by the USDA National Agricultural Library that features information about the 3Rs, funding opportunities, helpful tips for literature searches, and additional resources
• CIOMS publications:
  • International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research involving Animals
  • International Guidelines on Good Governance Practice for Research Institutions 
• CITES: International agreement between governments to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species
• FDP Sample MOU and User Manual
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Research Using Vertebrate Animals: Guidance for investigators on how to adhere to requirements, prepare a strong application, and manage a grant
• NICEATM resources for alternatives
• NORECOPA databases and guidelines on the use of alternatives to animal use