IBC Training & Educational Resources
The Role of the IBC & PI in Assessing & Documenting Training
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 for the online training courses.
IBC Specific Online Training Courses
All PIs are required to have all relevant trainings even if the PI is not at the bench. Bloodborne pathogen training is required initially for the PI if the IBC protocol involves work with infectious agents or blood/fluids/cells from human or non-human primates. However, the annual refresher training is not required if the PI states in the manual entry text box that they will not handle human or non-human primate derived materials/samples in their lab or work with infectious agents.
Biological Safety in the Lab
Course Number: UHS122
Personnel on IBC applications must complete this course once.** This applies to:
- Lab staff
- PIs directly handling an investigational product in a clinical trial. Not required if PI will not handle the investigational product (clinical trials only).
- PIs even if not working at the bench
- UMN staff working directly with an investigational product used in a clinical trial
- Teaching staff and TAs
- Volunteers working in the lab
Implementation of NIH Recombinant and Synthetic Nucleic Acids Guidelines
Course Number: UHS124
Personnel on IBC applications that involve work with r/sNA molecules must complete this course once.** This applies to:
- Lab staff
- PIs even if not working at the bench
- PIs overseeing Clinical Trials (even if not directly handling the investigational product)
- UMN staff if working directly with an investigational product used in a clinical trial
- Teaching staff and TAs
- Volunteers working in the lab
Bloodborne Pathogens Annual OSHA Requirement
Course Number: UHS110
Personnel on IBC applications must complete this course every year if they are working with zoonotic infectious agents or blood/fluids/cells (of human or primate origin).**
Complete this course once for work with other infectious agents (not infectious to humans).** This applies to:
- Lab staff
- PIs- complete once if not working at the bench and the project involves the agents listed above OR complete as indicated above if at the bench and working with the material described above
- PIs overseeing clinical trials that will work directly with material listed above.
- UMN staff involved in a clinical trial if working directly with material listed above
- Teaching staff and TAs
- Volunteers working in the lab
** If staff on an IBC application will not be working within the laboratory and will not be placed in situations where exposure to biological agents might occur then the online trainings are not required. If this is the case, please report this in the text box for "training that is not indicated above.”
Training Records in eProtocol
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.”
Completed training for IBC requirements will be recorded and should auto-populate in the eProtocol application. If personnel have taken the training but it isn't listed, then please 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 to locate the text box associated with each individual). Please note that the IBC does not track individuals and the activities they perform. The PI should use the text box to include clarifications on whether staff are not performing work listed in their application so that the IBC Admin does not send requests for training records that are not applicable.
Information for how to access training records.
Contact Information for Questions Related to Training
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.