UNO is committed to ensuring ethics, honesty, and integrity in the pursuit of our efforts in education, research, and outreach.
The Office of Research and Creative Activity (ORCA) provides guidance, resources, and oversight to ensure that UNO and its project directors are in compliance with the regulations and policies that apply to UNO activities. The Office of Research and Creative Activity manages several areas of compliance, including human subject research, animal subject research, research involving hazardous materials, conflicts of interest in research, responsible conduct of research education, export controls, and research integrity.
Research Compliance
For human subject research, and research involving hazardous materials, there are two regulatory compliance committees that are shared with the University of Nebraska Medical Center where the committees’ administrative offices are located. UNO faculty serve as campus representatives on these committees. For animal subject research, the regulatory compliance committee is a UNO-only committee, with its office on UNO’s campus. Finally, environmental health and safety is responsible for monitoring regulatory compliance and safety oversight of research programs that include biohazardous materials (e.g. human, animal or plant pathogens; human cell lines, blood or tissues), recombinant DNA/transgenic organisms, hazardous materials, and radioactive materials.
The following links provide additional information about each of this regulatory compliance committees and offices:
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Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB) |
The IRB assures the protection of all human subjects in research projects conducted by anyone on the premises of UNO and provides oversight for all research that is conducted elsewhere by UNO faculty, students, staff, or other representatives. The IRB also protects the investigator and the institution through a comprehensive review process. All human subject research must be reviewed and approved by the IRB prior to beginning such research. |
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The IACUC assists faculty, students, and staff in upholding UNO’s determination to assure the finest care and most humane utilization of our laboratory animals. To this end, every research, testing, and teaching project involving the use of a live, vertebrate animal must be reviewed and approved by the IACUC prior to initiation. |
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The IBC ensures the health and safety of all personnel working with biohazardous agents. The IBC makes certain that research conducted at the Institution is in compliance with federal guidelines and policies and reviews individual research proposals for biosafety concerns. Any research involving hazardous or biohazardous materials (e.g. human, animal or plant pathogens; human cell lines, blood or tissues), recombinant DNA or transgenic organisms (plants or animals) must be submitted to the IBC for review and approval prior to beginning such research. |
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UNO Environmental Health and Safety is responsible for monitoring regulatory compliance and safety oversight of research programs that include biohazardous materials (e.g. human, animal or plant pathogens; human cell lines, blood or tissues), recombinant DNA/transgenic organisms, hazardous materials, and radioactive materials. |
Other Regulatory Compliance
Uniform Guidance
The Uniform Guidance (UG) applies to all new federal awards issued on or after December 26, 2014. Modifications adding new funding to awards issued prior to that date may also include a clause updating the terms of the award to fall under UG.
On December 26, 2013, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released its final rule of “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards” (2 CFR Chapters I, II, Part 200, et al), and later provided interim updates. This guidance to federal agencies consolidates and replaces eight OMB Circulars such as the A-110 (Administrative requirements), A-21 (Cost principles), and A-133 (Audit requirements).
Read more about Uniform Guidance.
Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property (IP) includes inventions and other creative works and/or materials that may be protected under the patent, trademark, and/or copyright laws. The Board of Regents owns all inventions made by UNO employees while working under a grant or contract to UNO, or while using UNO resources. Further information on Intellectual Property:
Whistleblowing is defined as disclosing information that you reasonably believe is evident of gross mismanagement of a federal contract or grant, including gross waste of federal funds, abuse of authority relating to a federal contract or grant, danger to public health or safety, or a violation of law, rule, or regulation related to a federal contract or grant. UNO employees being paid from federally funded projects cannot be discharged, demoted, or otherwise discriminated against for whistleblowing.