Offices

The Office of Biosafety is focused on minimizing the health risk to those involved in research using biohazardous materials including recombinant DNA, infectious agents, and biological toxins, and in turn to protect the greater Tulane community, the general public, and the environment. In addition, the Office of Biosafety, in cooperation with the Institutional Biosafety Committee, is charged with oversight of regulatory compliance at the university with regard to the storage and use of hazardous biological materials.

Our scope of work includes:

• Assist PIs with registering research with the IBC
• Develop safe research protocols/SOPs
• Facilitate acquisition of required regulatory approvals and permits
• Coordinate annual Biological Safety Cabinet certifications
• Oversee compliance with the Select Agent Program Institutional Biosafety Committee

Learn more

The primary goal of the Tulane University Human Research Protection Office is to balance the protection of human subjects while promoting and facilitating the research enterprise, and to maintain an open and cooperative relationship with the research community.

• Review research in accordance with Federal Regulations and Tulane SOPs
• Protect the welfare of human subjects and ensure research is guided by the Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research (referred to as the Belmont Report)
• Promote a research environment that respects the rights and welfare of participants recruited for research conducted by its employees, faculty, staff, students and any institution or individual under the auspices of the University
• Administer the Biomedical and Social-Behavioral Institutional Review Boards for the university

Learn more

The Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) oversees the use of live animals in research, teaching, testing and training at Tulane’s New Orleans campuses (NOC) and the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC). The IACUC is responsible for the animal care and use program and its components. Oversight functions include:

• Review and approval of activities related to the care and use of animals and changes to the use of animals in ongoing activities
• Semiannual review of Tulane’s program for the humane care and use of animals and inspection of all animal facilities
• Review of animal welfare concerns

The Institutional Animal Care & Use office staff is committed to:

• Providing broad administrative support to those in the research community who utilize live animals in research, testing, training and teaching activities
• Ensuring the welfare of animals through a post-approval monitoring program
• Providing support to the NOC and TNPRC committees

Learn more

The IBC is the principal advisory group to the Vice President for Research on the use of rDNA and infectious agents in research. It is the appropriate body to oversee the resolution of concerns involving the use of rDNA and potentially hazardous biological materials brought to the attention of the committee. The Tulane University Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is responsible for:

• Reviewing research activities utilizing recombinant DNA (rDNA) and/or infectious agents
• Assuring the safe conduct of research
• Assessing decontamination and biocontainment levels
• Ensuring research is done in compliance with government and institution regulations

Learn more

The Department of Comparative Medicine (DCM) supports the research activities of Tulane University faculty, staff and students by fostering a comprehensive program of quality animal care.

Our scope of work includes:

• Supplying high quality laboratory animals
• Ensuring humane care and use of laboratory animals
• Maintaining AAALAC accredited facilities for housing laboratory animals
• Providing veterinary care, technical support, and training

Learn more

On behalf of the Vice President for Research, the University Research Compliance Office assists researchers in order to ensure compliance with regulations, university policies, and accreditation standards that are applicable to research activities, including:

• use of human and animal subjects in research
• biological safety
• pre-award grants administration
• export controls
• research misconduct
• responsible conduct of research training
• responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests
• registering and posting research results in www.ClinicalTrials.gov
• use of controlled substances.

Learn more

The Office of Research Proposal Development assists faculty in the preparation and submission of complex grant proposals, particular those for large, multi-investigator programs or research centers, in the areas of physical and biological sciences, medicine, public health, engineering, information and computer sciences and social sciences.

The services offered by the Office of Research Proposal Development are broad, including:

• Convening meetings of researchers for multi-investigator funding opportunities
• Working with investigators and sponsors to understand proposal requirements
• Developing a proposal preparation schedule with critical milestones and internal deadlines
• Creating proposal templates
• Gathering and formatting commonly required elements materials (biographical sketches, facilities statements, data management plan, etc)
• Vetting and editing technical sections of the proposal

Learn more

Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) provides both pre and post award services to the Tulane research community.

• Proposal assistance: identify and announce funding opportunities; interpret sponsor proposal guidelines, authorize individual access to various e-grant systems such as Grants.gov Workspace, eRA Commons, and Research.gov; conduct compliance review of proposals prior to submission; provide institutional signature or electronic sign-off on proposals.
• Industry sponsored clinical trials assistance: Review, negotiate and execute non-disclosure agreements, clinical trial contracts, and master agreements with industry sponsors.
• Award assistance: Review, negotiate and accept awards on behalf of the university; establish grant accounts from which Investigators spend project funds
• Post-award assistance: Issue subagreements to collaborating parties; review and approve expenditures for compliance with sponsor provisions; administer post- award processes such as no-cost extensions, re-budgeting, change of grantee institution, and closeout.

Learn more

The Office of Intellectual Property Management works closely with faculty, students and staff, deans and senior administrators, government and industry to translate research and innovation from the laboratories and classrooms of Tulane University for broad public benefit. The OIPM aims to foster and enable a culture of innovation throughout the Tulane University community, which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of humankind and furthers Tulane’s goals of community engagement and empowerment, supports Tulane’s goals of teaching, research and service that strengthens Tulane’s efforts to engage and empower the broader community.

The OIPM facilitates:

• Translation of research and knowledge from the laboratory and classroom into technologies that benefit the public
• Providing superior services to the university, its faculty and students that enable all aspects of the research mission and further technology development
• Strengthening the regional economy of southeast Louisiana through creative use of the university's intellectual property

Learn more