IBC Resources

Registration Information and Forms

The University of Maryland’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) uses SciShield (formerly BioRAFT), a management system for protocols submitted to the IBC. New protocols and amendments are processed within the SciShield system. If you have any issues with SciShield and need help please feel free to contact biosafety@umd.edu with "SciShield Questions" in the Subject line. Registration is required for research involving:

• Recombinant or synthetic nucleic acids
• Infectious agents (human, animal, plant and arthropod)
• Non-human primate unfixed tissues and primary cell culture 
• Human unfixed tissues, blood, and cell culture

Online registrations are valid for a period of four years.

Regulations and Guidelines

• NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules (NIH Guidelines)
• Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories
• National Select Agent Registry
• National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB)

Educational Resources

• Biosafety Considerations for Research with Lentiviral Vectors
• Major Actions under Section III-A Requiring NIH Director Approval - Deliberate Transfer of Drug Resistance to a Microorganism
• Animal Activities Covered under the NIH Guidelines
• FAQs Concerning IBCs
• University of Maryland's Online Training
• UMD Biosafety Manual