New project - Comparative Medicine Core facility
Project start-up checklist
Project start-up checklist
Before you can start your research project, the following steps are mandatory:
- Apply for an ethical approval of your research project in FOTS. For access to FOTS, contact the head of facility. All applications are sent to head of facility for a local evaluation before they are submitted to the authorities for processing.
- Hand in an HSE declaration for the project. This is necessary to make sure your project is planned and performed in a safe manner. Send the declaration to the head of facility.
- Fill in the first part of an Animal welfare evaluation form and send it to head of facility. You can find an example of a completed form here.
- Set up a meeting with the animal facility if your project involves new procedures or if you want help from our technicians during your experiment. It is also important to discuss the follow-up of your animals in the more critical periods of your experiment. As a main rule, the researcher is responsible for postoperative monitoring of the animals, including health checks and medications in evenings and weekends when necessary.
- When your project is approved in FOTS, you may order your animals. For more information, see Important information and facility rules. Please inform us if you have specific housing requirements.
- Register in Bookitlab, our bookingsystem, and in MLIMS, our animal colony management system. Contact the facility for assistance. The staff will register your animals in MLIMS at arrival.
- Book the necessary labs and equipment using Bookitlab.
Planning of your experiment
A thorough planning of your experiment is essential for maintaning good animal welfare, for implementation of the 3Rs and for getting reliable experimental results. Here you can find links to information that might help you in the planning process. (Some of the links require access to SAGE).
PREPARE - guidelines for planning animal research and testing
SYRCLE - SYstematic Review Center for Laboratory animal Experimentation
Begley`s six red flags for suspect work
Norecopa - a Norwegian website with a lot of information and links related to the 3Rs
Guidance for the Description of Animal Research in Scientific Publications (pdf)
NC3Rs ARRIVE Guidelines (pdf)
Experimental Design Assistant (free web based resource from the NC3Rs)
Interactive short course on experimental design for research workers