The Georgia Institute of Technology is committed to ensuring that vertebrate animals used in research and teaching activities receive humane care and treatment. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is charged with reviewing all proposed use of vertebrate animals, regardless of where the work is performed and source of funding, if any. The IACUC has the responsibility and authority to review, approve, disapprove, or require changes in research activities involving vertebrate animals. This committee regularly inspects and monitors the animal care and use facilities and program at the Institute to ensure that all components are in compliance with regulations outlined in the federal Animal Welfare Act, the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and with the Eighth Edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

The animal facilities are registered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and undergo frequent, unannounced inspections by that agency. Georgia Tech's Animal Welfare Assurance is approved by the Department of Health and Human Services. Committee membership is structured in accordance with federal requirements; members are appointed by the Vice President for Research, who also serves as the Institutional Official for matters related to vertebrate animal subjects.

The IACUC has set forth procedures for reporting, without fear of reprisal, concerns about the humane use and treatment of vertebrate animals used in research and teaching activities at Georgia Tech. The IACUC meets monthly to review research protocols which propose the use of vertebrate animal subjects; committee approval must be obtained prior to initiation of proposed activities.

For more information about the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, please see the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee website.

The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is responsible for reviewing all registrations for research, teaching, and training that involve the use of recombinant DNA by Georgia Tech faculty, staff or students and ensuring that the proposed activities comply with the federal NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules and all other applicable regulations. All scholarly activities involving recombinant DNA, regardless of source of funding, must be reviewed by the IBC. The Committee has the responsibility and authority to review, approve, disapprove, or require changes in research, teaching, and training activities involving recombinant DNA materials.

Georgia Tech's Institutional Biosafety Committee is registered with the National Institutes of Health's Office of Biotechnology Activities (OBA). IBC works closely with Georgia Tech's Biosafety Officer in the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Committee membership is structured in accordance with federal requirements. Members are appointed by the Executive Vice President for Research, who is also the Institutional Official for matters related to the Biosafety Committee. The IBC holds meetings as needed to review registrations.

For more information about Institutional Biosafety Committee, please see the Institutional Biosafety Committee website.

Georgia Tech subscribes to the basic ethical principles that underlie the conduct of biomedical and behavioral research involving human subjects as set forth in the Belmont Report, the timeless statement of ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects published in 1979 by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research.

The three Georgia Tech Institutional Review Boards are charged with protecting the rights and welfare of human subjects participating in research projects conducted by Georgia Tech faculty, staff, or students. These include the Central IRB, the Joint Georgia State University-Georgia Tech IRB for the Advanced Brain Imaging Center, and the Classified IRB. The IRBs have the responsibility and authority to review, approve, disapprove, or require changes in research activities involving human subjects. All proposed research activities involving human subjects, regardless of source of funding or study location, must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate Georgia Tech Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to initiation of research. The IRBs hold regularly scheduled meetings to review research protocols involving human subjects.

Georgia Tech's Federalwide Assurance is approved by the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Institutional Review Boards are registered with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Human Research Protections.

Committee members are appointed by the Vice President for Research, who also serves as the Institutional Official for matters related to human subjects. Membership is structured in accordance with federal requirements set forth in Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations Part 46, Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects including Subparts A, B, C, and D, and in Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 50, 56, 312, and 812.

For more information about the Institutional Review Board, please see the Institutional Review Boards website.

Protecting Sensitive Data in Electronic Format and Best Practices for Backing Up Sensitive Data

• The Office of Information Technology (OIT) provided this guidance for the Office of Research Integrity Assurance to share with faculty and other researchers who possess sensitive data, particularly those data that involve human subjects and for which confidentiality is essential. Detailed safeguard recommendations for protecting sensitive data are posted on OIT’s site.
• These safeguards are highlighted here:
  • Store data only on a laptop/desktop with whole disk encryption. This will protect the data in the event the machine is stolen.
  • Back up the data regularly to a professionally-managed file server that is protected and backed up on a routine schedule. Talk with OIT or a CSR for more information on options.
  • Back up data to a tape or drive that is managed by OIT or the researcher’s unit. Back ups should be encrypted and stored in a physically secure location.
  • Machines on which data reside should be fully patched with the latest security patches.
  • Limit access to the data strictly to those with legitimate need. For example, do not store data on a public-facing web server or Prism account.

For more information about Protecting Sensitive Data, please see: "Protecting Sensitive Data in Electronic Format and Best Practices for Backing Up Sensitive Data"

Please see Faculty Handbook 5.7 Policy for Responding to Allegations of Scientific or Other Scholarly Misconduct