ACUC Review Time Data
At a convened meeting on January 31, 2024, by unanimous vote of the quorum present, the FSU ACUC established the following submission review time goals:
- Administrative review: less than three days
- Amendment (Designated Member Review): less than 13 days
- Amendment (Full Committee Review): less than 32 days
- Protocol (Designated Member Review): less than 30 days
- Protocol (Full Committee Review): less than 37 days
The “Average Business Days in ACUC Review” metric is a direct correlate of ACUC efficiency, whereas “Average Business Days from Submission to Approval” may be impacted by factors beyond ACUC control, such as PI response time.
For the period June 2025 – December 2025, the ACUC exceeded the review time goal for Administrative Amendments, protocol DMR, and protocol FCR only. Goals for Amendment DMR and Amendment FCR were not met. The ACUC Coordinator began maternity leave on May 23, 2025, and formally resigned from the position on October 20, 2025, without returning to duty. Recruitment to fill the vacancy commenced on October 28, 2025. During the vacancy period, protocol routing responsibilities were assumed by LAR veterinarians, the LAR Business Manager, and the Administrative Associate. The absence of a dedicated ACUC Coordinator has directly contributed to increased review and approval times.
*Submission IPROTO202400000041 was excluded from the data analysis due to an outlying PI response time of 132 business days.
The graph below provides a comparison of ACUC review times by submission type and review method for FY23, FY24, and FY25.
*The average for Protocol FCR in FY25 was adversely impacted by three protocols with submission to approval times of 93, 137, and 178 days, which were related to investigator response times.