The go-live date for the University of Minnesota’s new Animal Research Care Hub (ARCH) has been officially scheduled for Wednesday, September 30.
ARCH is the new secure, digital vivarium management and electronic health record system. Replacing outdated, paper-based census systems, ARCH will provide both researchers and RAR staff with increased transparency, streamlined EFS billing, and direct access to project and animal health information.
Upcoming Milestones & Next Steps
To ensure a seamless transition on September 30, the ARCH Implementation Team is moving into the final stages of system validation, testing, and community onboarding. Here is what you can expect over the next few months:
- Pilot Testing & Validation: Throughout June and July, the team is conducting structured testing with lab and RAR Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). We are validating everyday workflows—such as animal ordering and cage-side activity requests—to ensure the system is functional and intuitive.
- New Hardware Deployment: We are preparing to deploy new hardware in our facilities, including cage card label printers, to help streamline and improve documentation.
- Role-Based Training: Insights from our summer testing sessions are being used to draft customized, role-specific training materials, which will be released to the community ahead of the launch.
- Data Gathering: We will engage with labs beginning in mid-July to collect the necessary information for proper access to ARCH for their lab staff as well as supplemental information needed about lab animal census.
Important Note Regarding Animal Ordering
Please note that the animal ordering schedule will be adjusted to accommodate the transition and go-live timeline. RAR leadership will be reaching out to researchers soon with more detailed information regarding these schedule changes and how to plan your orders.
How You Can Help
Researcher and lab staff input remains essential to ARCH's success. If you have questions, feedback, or want to ensure your lab’s specific needs are being addressed, please reach out to the project team at [email protected] or visit our ARCH website for more details.