Animal Use Protocol Applications

Protocol Submission

Protocols are due on the last Monday of each month unless otherwise advertised.

Protocols are to be completed online using the ROMEO Researcher Portal system. To access the ROMEO system, go to Trent University's homepage, select "MyTrent", then select "Services", "ROMEO Researcher Portal" (under “Learning and Research”). Either register or log into the portal. Once in the portal, select "Apply New". Pick the protocol form that is appropriate to you.

For more assistance, please consult this guide.

For more information about the online system, please contact Coordinator, Research Conduct and Reporting or dial 705-748-1011 ext. 7866

NOTE: ALL protocols (including any that finished during a respective calendar year) need to submit an annual update. The “Annual Animal Use Progress Report” listed with amendment forms is due each year on December 31st.

Animal Care Protocol Instructions

1. Choosing the correct Protocol Form: 
   • o    The Protocol form is based on the type of work being done. Please choose the appropriate form. For projects which are field-based and have or may have a laboratory component, choose the Animal Use Protocol Application For Wildlife and Field Work Research form. For projects which are strictly laboratory based use the Animal Use Protocol Application For Laboratory Research Faculty/Principal Investigators form. The Wildlife form includes a section for laboratory work done on animals captured in their natural habitat. If you anticipate working with wildlife in the lab, be sure to complete all the appropriate sections of this form. Contact the animal care supervisor for assistance. For assistance with your actual methodology involving animals, contact the Vet.
2. Multi-year Protocols: 
   • Long term protocols extending beyond one year in duration are possible for up to a maximum of three years. The multi-year protocol is to be used by principal investigators who will have projects which, due to the nature of the work, will extend beyond 1 calendar year up to a maximum of 3 calendar years. Principal investigators are required to submit an Annual Animal Use Progress Report prior to the end of December of the year the protocol was approved, and each year afterward.  
3. Protocol extensions: 
   • Projects which are anticipated to extend beyond one year will be approved as multi-year projects (see 2. above).  Projects which were expected to be completed in one year, but have been delayed, can apply for extensions of up to 12 months as part of an amendment submission.
4. Amendment Forms: 
   • The amendment form is to be used to address the 4 most common types of requests, thus streamlining the process (end date extension, increase in animal numbers, additional investigators (or alternate investigators), minor/major changes to methods). 
5. Live Animals and Teaching: 
   • The use of live animals for teaching purposes is now strongly discouraged and pedagogical merit reviews are mandatory. Teaching protocols will require that the instructing department approve the use of animals in a course prior to protocol approval by the ACC. Please complete the Animal Use Protocol Application For Teaching, and if you have any questions, contact the animal care supervisor for assistance.
6. 3 R's of animal use: 
   • The CCAC has introduced a requirement that the "3 R's" of animal use in research (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement), and it has become a central tenet of protocol review.
7. External Peer Review: 
   • There is a new process in place for External Peer Review for scientific merit of projects which propose using live vertebrates and cephalopods but have not been peer-reviewed by external reviewers (i.e. as a part of the Tri-Council award competition).  
8. All forms have been designed, formatted and updated as per the CCAC guidelines for protocol assessment.

If you have any additional questions or problems with the online forms, please contact Coordinator, Research Conduct and Reporting (ext. 7866).