Outcomes and conditions for animal ethics applications

After the Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) meeting, the AEC manager will be in touch to indicate the outcome of your application and when you can expect to receive your outcome letter. Generally, this is within 10-15 working days, depending on the number of applications at the meeting and the complexity of the application.

The outcome of the committee’s consideration generally falls in the following three categories:

• Approved – The application is approved, but minor administrative changes may be required. If any minor changes are required, a request for these changes will be forwarded to the applicant. Once the changes made are satisfactory, or if no changes were required, the status of the application will be changed to "Approved", and the animal ethics secretariat will send a letter of approval to the applicant in which any conditions of the approval are stated.
• Conditionally approved – The AEC has several concerns or questions that require clarification from you. You will need to address the AEC’s questions, amend the application accordingly, and resubmit the application. The main reviewer will review the revised application and is allowed to give approval, as appropriate (i.e. the review of the revised application does not need to wait until the next AEC meeting).
• Not approved – The AEC has major concerns and cannot approve the application in the submitted form. You will need to make major changes to the application and/or experimental design and resubmit it (before the closing date) for reconsideration by the whole committee at the next meeting.
• Declined – the application is declined. The outcome letter may be sent electronically, and/or the chair may choose to visit the applicant to clarify the AEC’s decision.

• AEC processing timeframes for 2025, Q4

Only after all concerns and questions from the AEC and/or reviewer have been addressed satisfactorily, and the AEC is confident that the project is justifiable, as per the Code of Ethical Conduct, will it be approved. To process the application for approval, all required documentation needs to be complete.

Only after final approval has been granted can the project commence. During your project, you have to remain aware of the limitations and conditions of the approval. IDAOs need to be signed off by all personnel on the application and the animal welfare officer before any drugs used in the management of animals are administered.

The PI is required to submit animal usage returns and an end of approval report within three months of the project finishing; for more information, see Animal ethics reporting.

Animal ethics approval may be subject to co-existing additional approvals or permits. For example, when working with wild animals, you may require DOC permits, and when working with transgenic animals or pathogenic microorganisms, you may require approval from the University of Auckland Biological Safety Committee (UABSC).

When working with potentially hazardous materials, including transgenic animals, pathogenic microorganisms, radionuclides or irradiating equipment, teratogenic, mutagenic or cytotoxic chemicals, discuss the requirement for approval from the UABSC or safety precautions with the hazard and containment manager.

Animal Ethics Committee
Email: animalethics@auckland.ac.nz