BRF Update - Feb + ARC animal shipments
I hope things are going well, despite a very unusual start to the year. We have a number of key updates as follows:
Supply of animals from ARC – update from the UQBR Director Kevin Wathen-Dunn
I wanted to firstly thank everyone who has patiently worked with the BR Orders Team during the recent ARC supply disruptions.
The WA borders remain closed, however there have been two significant improvements. The WA Health Minister has assisted in getting the shipments reclassed as priority medical supplies to ensure they are not “bumped” last minute. The carriers (QANTAS and Virgin) have reassessed flights to increase cargo capacity. Over the next few weeks, this should start to bring the transport capacity back to a normal level. However, it may take ARC some time to work through the existing backlog of orders. We will continue to monitor this progress and provide further updates as needed.
We recommend submitting your orders and liaising with the UQBR animal orders team for more detailed updates/options around delivery dates.
Mandatory annual ethics reports
There is an issue with MyResearch (example attached) whereby a location needs to be specified for each strain, but there is nothing to select on the dropdown menu. The draft report can however be saved until the RMBT team work out a resolution, which they have advised is expected next week.
We are starting to receive a lot of MyResearch and MARs queries, so I have included the following resources:
- Attached is the email with the links to the guides on using Mosaic for completing MAR reporting
- Instructions on using MyResearch: https://systems-training.its.uq.edu.au/myresearch
- Support form for issues with MyResearch: https://research.uq.edu.au/research-systems/myresearch
BRF staffing updates
I will be on leave 11th February to 13th March. Karen Knox and Brad Buchan will be stepping up into the senior and deputy manager roles respectively.
We are experiencing increased activity/demand for services which is great to see – please note there may be a surge in demand over the coming weeks as ARC orders come in and more researchers return to work onsite. This month we have had a number of staff affected by COVID-19 and there is still a possibility that this could affect our resourcing suddenly on short notice, causing increased delays in responses to enquiries. We strongly recommend contacting the BRF with advance notice as soon as you know you may need technical services or be starting a large project, so that we can advise if our services are fully booked or there are any logistical challenges to consider.
Mosaic practical training
We are continuing to offer practical training to researchers on how to update records in Mosaic when working inside the facility for animals culled or moved between cages. Please see attached a guide on how to book attendance at a session.
As always please do not hesitate to contact us with any queries or concerns.
