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Research Involving Animals

Home » Research Ethics » Research Involving Animals

York is committed to conducting world-class research and to providing animals with the best care; only utilizing animals in research under strict protocols and where there are no viable alternatives to conduct the needed research.

The Animal Care Committee (ACC) at York has jurisdiction over all research involving animals conducted – on and off campus - by York faculty, staff and students. 

It is the Committee’s mandate to ensure that all research involving animals is conducted in a manner consistent with the national guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and relevant regulations/provincial legislation (Animals for Research Act). 

A research student.

York University’s animal care best practices are monitored on an institutional level by both the relevant provincial Ministry and the Canadian Council on Animal Care. 

Our University Veterinarian conducts regular visits of the facilities to inspect conditions and provide necessary care.

It is York policy that researchers intending to conduct research involving animals and/or to utilize animals for teaching purposes must submit the appropriate protocol and obtain approval of said protocol by the Animal Care Committee at York before any research or teaching activity can commence.

Appropriate training and education are required by all researchers - faculty, staff and students - in order to carry out this type of research.

York University’s Animal Care Committee adheres to the Three R’s framework, which considers replacement, reduction and refinement strategies. The Three R’s are the foundation of the Canadian Council on Animal Care, and act as guiding principles for ethical decision-making on research involving animals and their welfare. 

  • Replacement considers alternative techniques, and complete or relative replacements, to conduct studies without involving any animals
  • Reduction refers to limiting the number or quantity of animals involved in order to conduct the necessary research or to obtain concrete results
  • Refinement includes environmental enrichment and making changes or modifications to how the research is done

For more information about the Three R’s, visit the Canadian Council on Animal Care website: https://ccac.ca/en/three-rs/

To ensure the timely review of ACC protocols (new, renewal and amendment), please ensure that all relevant documents are submitted to accinfo@yorku.ca prior to the scheduled ACC meeting. 

Please note: Protocols received after the required submission date will be held for review at the next scheduled ACC meeting.

ACC Meeting Dates & Protocol Submission Deadlines 
Last updated: January 7, 2025

The submission deadline dates for Fall/Winter 2024-2025 are listed in the table below.

ACC Meeting DateProtocol Submission Deadline
January 31, 2025January 13, 2025
February 28, 2025February 10, 2025
March 28, 2025March 10, 2025
April 25, 2025April 7, 2025
May 23, 2025May 5, 2025
June 20, 2025June 2, 2025

Contact Us

Questions? For general inquiries, please reach out via email to the committee.

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