June 2000 News

Animal Facilities Cost Manual now Available on the Web

June 19, 2000

The National Center for Research Resources (NCCR) at NIH recently released a revised edition of its "Cost Analysis and Rate Setting Manual for Animal Research Facilities." The manual is available on the Web here.

(It is in .pdf format, which means you will need Acrobat Reader to open the file.)

This revised manual aims to assist institutions in determining the true cost of operating their respective animal research facilities and to encourage the use of cost analysis as a management tool to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness. Potential manual users include directors and managers of animal research facilities, institutional administrators, investigators, sponsoring agency personnel, peer review groups, auditors, and rate negotiators.

NCRR appointed an expert committee, headed by Dr. Charles McPherson, to revise the 1979 edition of the manual. They cite an increased sophistication of animal research (particularly in terms of genetic technology), more stringent regulation of laboratory animal care and use, and much greater use of computers for calculations involved in cost analysis as prompting the revision.

In a careful review of animal research costs, the expert committee found major inconsistencies in what was included in animal research facilities' billing rates for service. The committee concluded that institutions were attempting in good faith to comply with general guidelines, but the end results were unsatisfactory. The revised manual should help rectify this situation by providing a fair and consistent methodology for determining the costs of animal research.

Print copies may be obtained by calling NCRR's Office of Science Policy and Public Liaison at (301) 435-0888.