Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)
Training Courses
The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is tasked by the NIH Guidelines with assessing the training and expertise of personnel involved in recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecule research. The IBC extends this assessment to personnel performing research or teaching activities with other potentially hazardous biological agents. The capability of personnel to control hazards and reduce risks involves training, and the IBC expects all personnel are trained in lab specific activities. Records for lab specific training are typically requested during UHS inspections. The director or person in charge of the laboratory is expected to provide or arrange the appropriate training.
In addition to lab specific training, the IBC requires more general training in certain areas depending on the research or teaching activities of the laboratory (see below). All modules are administered and tracked through the Training Hub and you must have a University of Minnesota x500 to log in. The PI of an eProtocol application is held responsible for the IBC-required training of the personnel listed.
Trainings from other sources are not allowed as substitutes. Completed training for IBC requirements will be recorded in a database and should auto-populate in the eProtocol application. However, auto-population is currently unreliable. To prevent requests for training, any missing records for completed IBC-required courses must be entered in a manual entry area of the application in each personnel listing (Title, course #, date completed). The IBC does not track individuals and the activities they perform.
All PIs are required to have all relevant trainings even if the PI is not at the bench. Blood-borne pathogen annual refresher training is not IBC required if the PI states in the manual entry area that they will not handle human or non-human primate derived materials/samples in their lab (includes cell lines, etc).
| Course | Course Number | Who is Required to Complete the Course |
| Biological Safety in the Lab | UHS122 | All laboratory staff must complete this course once. |
| Implementation of NIH Recombinant and Synthetic Nucleic Acids Guidelines | UHS124 | All laboratory staff working with r/sNA must complete this course once. |
| Bloodborne Pathogens Annual OSHA Requirement | UHS110 |
Must complete this course every year if you are laboratory staff working with:
|
Biological Safety in the Laboratory
Provides an overview of information researchers will need to remain in compliance with the policies and requirements of the IBC and the University's Biosafety Program.
Complete this course once.
Implementation of NIH Recombinant and Synthetic Nucleic Acids Guidelines
Familiarizes the principal investigator (PI) and lab personnel with the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules.
Complete this course once if you work with r/sNA.
Bloodborne Pathogens Annual OSHA Requirement
Training for personnel working with human/zoonotic infectious agents, blood/fluids/cells from humans or non-human primates.
- every year if you work with blood/fluids/cells from humans or non-human primates or human or zoonotic infectious agents.
- only once if you work with any other infectious agent
Completing these courses meets the requirements of:
- OSHA'sBloodborne Pathogens Standard
- IBC requirements for faculty, staff, students, and volunteers
Notes
After you complete a training module, the courses should appear in the Personnel Information section of your IBC application in eProtocol. To view the training courses for each staff member, click on their name, and then click twice on the double arrows to the far right of "Training Details.”
If personnel have taken the training but it isn't listed, include each unlisted training module's name and date of completion in the box for "training that is not indicated above" for all personnel (click on their name).
Information for how to access training records.
** If admin staff will not be working within the laboratory and will not be placed in situations under which exposure to biological agents might occur training is not required. If this is the case, please report this in the "training that is not indicated above” section.
Educational Resources
Educational resources are being developed.
Questions
For questions regarding training content or technical issues, contact UHS at (612) 626-6002 or uhs@umn.edu.
For questions regarding training requirements, contact the IBC at (612) 626-2161 or ibc@umn.edu.