NIH has simplified the Vertebrate Animals Section (VAS) of grant applications, cooperative agreements, and contract proposals to remove redundancy with IACUC review while meeting the requirements of the PHS Policy. Changes include:

• Guidance on criteria to be addressed has been updated
• Description of veterinary care is no longer required
• Justification for the number of animals has been eliminated
• Description and justification of the method of euthanasia is required only if the method is not consistent with AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals

See NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-16-006 to learn more about the updated VAS requirements, the implementation schedule, and what has changed. See also, the Vertebrate Animals Section webpage – a new resource where you can find more information on the requirements, a checklist, detailed instructions plus links to worksheets.