Compliance & Safety

Animal Care & Use

The University of New Hampshire (UNH) recognizes its responsibility to produce and disseminate knowledge in accordance with its mission of research, teaching, and public service. Some activities conducted at UNH necessitate the use of live vertebrate animals. Recognizing the importance of using live animals for these purposes, UNH, for both ethical and scientific reasons, insists upon the highest standards for the care and use of such animals.

Accordingly, UNH has a policy for the care and use of live vertebrate animals at the institution, an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) that oversees vertebrate animal care and use at UNH, and an Animal Resources Office (ARO) that provides technical support, training, veterinary services and assistance to UNH faculty, staff, and students.

Conflicts of Interest & Commitment

Any situation or action creating suspicion that the design, conduct, and/or reporting of research activities are biased erodes trust at all levels and is damaging to scientific research.

In the university setting, individuals often face competing obligations and conflicting interests. These may include, but are not limited to:

Competing professional obligations, such as time spent teaching versus time spent conducting research
Conflicting personal interests and professional obligations, such as the pressure to publish versus the obligation to report research data honestly and accurately

Where competing obligations exist, it is important that one obligation does not blind an individual to the other(s).

Environmental Health and Safety

The Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) works to assure safe and healthful environments for all segments of the campus population through programs of information and education, review and monitoring, technical consultation and provision of direct services. OEHS is also responsible for developing programs to ensure compliance with applicable state and federal health, safety and environmental regulations, and campus policies on environmental health and safety.

Export Controls

A core value of the University of New Hampshire is the open exchange of research and scholarly information both within the University and between the University and the public. This value is supported by the University’s policies on Openness, Access, and Participation in Research and Scholarly Activities and Classified Work, which describe how University research and scholarship are conducted in an open environment, regardless of whether or not a sponsored program is involved.

Human Subjects

The University of New Hampshire (UNH) recognizes its responsibility to produce and disseminate knowledge in accordance with its mission of research, teaching, and public service. When non-human models are insufficient, use of human subjects in research is an integral aspect of scholarly activity at UNH. UNH recognizes its ethical and legal responsibilities to provide a mechanism to protect individuals involved as subjects in research conducted under the auspices of UNH.

Accordingly, to protect the rights and welfare of every human subject involved in research activities, UNH has a policy on the use of human subjects in research and an Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research (IRB) that oversees the program of protecting human subjects at UNH according to established procedures.

Responsible Conduct of Research & Scholarly Activity

As a land-grant institution, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) is accountable to New Hampshire residents and to the university community to ensure the ethical and safe conduct of research and scholarly activity. As an institution of higher education that prides itself on extensive research endeavors and the involvement of undergraduates and graduate students in research projects, UNH has an obligation to teach and actively promote integrity in research and scholarship.

To fulfill its obligations, UNH has embarked on a program on the responsible conduct of research and scholarly activity (RCR) to:

Raise the consciousness of faculty, staff, and students regarding the ethical and responsible conduct of research and scholarly activity,
Establish a knowledge base that defines normative and/or professional behavior to assist faculty, staff, and students in making ethical and responsible decisions in the conduct of research and scholarly activity, and
Foster an institutional culture of integrity in research and scholarly activity.

Research Support Units

Environmental Health & Safety

The Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) works to assure safe and healthful environments for all segments of the campus population through programs of information and education...

Research Integrity Services

Research Integrity Services administers UNH’s program for the protection of human subjects in research and the Institutional Review Board (IRB); administers UNH’s program for the humane care and...

Research Partnerships & Commercialization

The Office for Research Partnerships and Commercialization (ORPC) advocates for, manages, and promotes UNH's intellectual property; promotes partnerships between...

Research