Our funded research involving animals must meet specific requirements, including adherence to relevant legislation, the Code and our policies, standards, and guidelines.
What NHMRC requires
Our requirements apply to any researcher involved with a project funded by NHMRC, and any institution that administers NHMRC funds.
- Our funding agreement requires the conduct of research to comply with Commonwealth and state and territory legislation, the Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes (the Code) and relevant NHMRC policies, standards and guidelines.
- As required under the Code, researchers must investigate, consider and, where applicable, implement methods that replace or partially replace the use of animals. They must ensure that any use of animals in research is justified.
- All applications for NHMRC funding are subject to rigorous and independent peer review of their scientific merit. We do not fund research involving animals unless the work is considered by peers to be of high quality and significance.
- If a funding application is successful following NHMRC peer review, approvals (for example, ethics clearances, biosafety) and other requirements that are needed for the research to commence, must be obtained.
- All research we fund that involves animals must be approved by an Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) before the work involving animals begins (see Institution approvals). This may occur either before or after NHMRC’s funding decision. The AEC is responsible for review of the ethical aspects of a proposed project.
- If the AEC approval process results in a change to the research plan that was originally subject to NHMRC's peer review process, investigators are expected to comply with NHMRC’s Grantee Variations Policy and guidance.
Compliance monitoring
Institutions that administer NHMRC funds are required to submit an Institutional Annual Compliance Report to NHMRC each year detailing ongoing compliance with NHMRC’s Funding Agreement and other relevant policies for the previous calendar year. We also conduct periodic checks of compliance with reporting requirements under our Principles and guidelines for the care and use of non-human primates for scientific purposes.
Enquiries
For further information, contact animal-ethics@nhmrc.gov.au.
