Office of Research Integrity
Message from the Laboratory Director"Pacific Northwest National Laboratory enjoys a well-earned reputation for technical excellence and professional integrity. Our exceptional staff uphold this reputation through individual and collective actions. In particular, PNNL's world-leading scientists and engineers are expected to conduct and communicate high-quality research with objectivity, integrity, and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. It is our privilege to serve the Department of Energy and all of our sponsors in ways that enable their ongoing mission success." - Steven Ashby |
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The Office of Research Integrity, under the direction of the Laboratory Director’s Office, is chartered to promote scientific integrity and excellence at PNNL while assisting staff in managing risks associated with research involving human subjects, vertebrate animals, and biologic agents.
These institutional committees comprise PNNL’s Office of Research Integrity:
- Institutional Review Board: Reviews and approves research involving human subjects to ensure the safety, health, welfare and ethical treatment of people who participate in research.
- Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee: Reviews and approves research involving animals to ensure the ethical treatment and humane use of laboratory animals.
- Institutional Biosafety Committee: The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) reviews and approves research projects with recombinant DNA (rDNA), as required by the National Institutes of Health (NIH); reviews research projects with other hazardous biological agents; and reviews Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) security, safeguards, and emergency management plans and procedures to assure they adequately consider work involving biologic etiologic agents, as required by the US Department of Energy (DOE). The IBC adheres to regulatory requirements established by multiple federal and state agencies and biomedical laboratory safety standards published by national and international health organizations and to the biological safety subject area described in 10 CFR Part 851, Appendix A, Section 7, Biological Safety.
The IBC reports to the Office of Research Integrity and is directly accountable to the Deputy Director for Science and Technology (DDST), who also chairs the Office of Research Integrity.
The Institutional Biological Safety Committee (IBC) serves as a Laboratory-level advisory committee to PNNL’s Biological Safety Program. The roles and responsibilities of the IBC are stipulated by both the NIH and DOE’s biological safety area, described in 10 CFR 851.24. Thus, the IBC is responsible for approving rDNA-associated activities and reviewing Biosafety Level controls and various pathogen protocols that may affect safety, health, or environmental risks. The IBC communicates issues and proposed improvements to the Worker Safety & Health Division. The IBC is responsible for the review of PNNL policies and projects involving research with:
- Recombinant DNA (rDNA)
- Materials classified as requiring Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) containment, or higher
- Risk Group 2 organisms, or higher
- Animal pathogens
- Plant pathogens
- Biologic select agents
- Blood borne pathogens
- Toxins
- Other hazardous biological materials that may pose safety, health, or environmental risks.
- Scientific Integrity and Ethics Board: Partners with PNNL’s legal office to promote scientific integrity and investigate cases of alleged scientific misconduct, when needed.
Sub-contractors may report concerns through the following channels:
Email: ecp@pnnl.gov
Phone: 509-375-3989
Hotline: 1-844-975-2644
For additional details and contact information, please click here.