Survey Results: Reducing Time and Effort in NIH-Supported Laboratory Animal Research, Testing, and Training

These Survey Results help inform NIH’s ongoing efforts to reduce time and effort spent by Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) administrators and principal investigators (PIs) while maintaining the integrity and credibility of research findings and protection of research animals.

Survey and Participants 

In June through September 2023, the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) conducted a survey of 285 IACUC administrators on workloads and administrative burden. The survey asked participants about the OLAW flexibilities and USDA updates released in response to Section 2034(d) of the 21st Century Cures Act mandate.

The surveyed administrators were from institutions that had a Domestic Assurance with OLAW, were registered with the USDA, or both. Some institutions were also accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International. 

Results on OLAW Flexibilities

IACUC administrators at both OLAW assured and USDA registered institutions responded positively overall. Institutional animal care programs benefited directly from the OLAW flexibilities and USDA updates, while investigators benefited indirectly. 

IACUC administrators reported that they could redirect their time towards:

• Increasing support in the areas researchers rated as highest priority for change, as identified in the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) 2018 Faculty Workload Survey to reduce unnecessary burden.
• Improving other aspects of their animal care programs that may have a direct impact on researchers.

Find graphs and additional specifics in the IACUC Administrator Survey Results section of the OLAW 21st Century Cures Act Evaluation webpage.

Next Steps

To continue reducing administrative burden, NIH plans the following next steps: 

• OLAW plans to re-survey IACUC administrative personnel and will continue to assess the effectiveness of additional OLAW’s efforts to reduce workload.
• OLAW will continue to meet semiannually with or federal partners to discuss ongoing and additional harmonization efforts among federal agencies.
• The Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) and OLAW will work together to explore ways that FDP can facilitate connections with investigators to help assess the longitudinal impact of these changes. 

Related Resources

• NIH OLAW
• 21st Century Cures Act – Animal Care and Use in Research | OLAW
• Archive.org snapshot of April 2022 Nexus article “Reducing Administrative Burden in Laboratory Animal Research: What Have We Done Recently and What's Coming”
• September 2019 Nexus article “Final Report on Reducing Administrative Burdens Associated with Research Involving Laboratory Animals”