Key Dates

Related Announcements

• May 26, 2016 - NIH Research Involving Chimpanzees. See Notice NOT-OD-16-095
• April 27, 2015 - Notice: Chimpanzee Research Use (CRU) Reporting System. See NOT-OD-15-097 (RESCINDED)
• November 25, 2013 - Update to the Interim Agency Policy, NIH Extramural and Intramural Research Involving Chimpanzees. See NOT-OD-14-024

Issued by

Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health (OD)

Purpose

The purpose of this Notice is to inform the research community of the updated agency processes for projects that propose to use chimpanzees or chimpanzee biomaterials in NIH-supported research, and to rescind the Notice: Chimpanzee Research Use (CRU) Reporting System, issued under NOT-OD-15-097.

Background

The NIH has prohibited all invasive research involving chimpanzees (NOT-OD-14-024), and only limited categories of noninvasive research involving chimpanzees or chimpanzee biomaterials are permitted, as described in NOT-OD-16-095. Previously, review of applications for NIH funding and other research requests that potentially involve chimpanzees or chimpanzee biomaterials was handled via the Chimpanzee Research Use (CRU) Reporting System, which was administered by the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) in the NIH Office of the Director (OD). The CRU Reporting System has been decommissioned as of June 2, 2025, and DPCPSI will no longer serve as the point of contact for chimpanzee research use. The new point of contact for projects requesting the use of chimpanzees and chimpanzee biomaterials is the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) Division of Assurances within the Office of Extramural Research in the NIH OD.

Updates to Implementation

Review of applications for NIH funding and other research requests that potentially involve chimpanzees or chimpanzee biomaterials will continue, as described in NOT-OD-16-095, without the CRU Reporting System as the data collection tool for the CRU form and without involvement of DPCPSI. The CRU form will still be collected through a new process as described below.

Grant applicants who propose the use of chimpanzees or chimpanzee biomaterials in new or competing research will be contacted by the Grants Management Specialist (GMS) with a request to submit a completed CRU form as Just-In-Time information. The same process will occur for Other Transactions with applicants contacted by the Other Transaction Agreements Specialist (OTAS) with a request to submit a completed CRU form as Additional Materials. When the CRU form has been received, the GMS/OTAS will request OLAW review by contacting the NIH OLAW Division of Assurances at [email protected], with the subject line “Chimpanzee Research – Award/Project ID.” Applicants may be contacted by the GMS/OTAS or NIH Program Officer with requests to provide additional information or if the NIH OLAW believes the research is inconsistent with the definition of noninvasive research, as described in the Standards of Care for Chimpanzees Held in the Federally Supported Chimpanzee Sanctuary System at 42 CFR Part 9.

The updated process as it relates to contract and intramural proposals or projects is unchanged except that the relevant NIH individual (e.g., Contracting Officer Representative, intramural scientific director) should contact the NIH OLAW Division of Assurances. For third-party requests to either access chimpanzees or to use chimpanzee biomaterials collected from animals in the NIH Chimpanzee Management Program, relevant staff at the Chimpanzee Management Program facilities should contact the NIH OLAW Division of Assurances. Relevant NIH individuals or relevant staff at the Chimpanzee Management Program facilities should email [email protected], with the subject line “Chimpanzee Research – Award/Project ID,” to initiate OLAW review of any proposed projects involving chimpanzees or chimpanzee biomaterials.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)
Division of Assurances
Telephone: 301-496-7163
Email: [email protected]