Project Initiation

After an application is reviewed by the CIDR Access Committee (CAC) and the Board of Governors (BOG), the Investigator will receive feedback regarding the basis for the recommendation to grant or deny access to CIDR.

CIDR will contact Investigators whose projects are granted access. Each approved project is assigned a primary contact at CIDR who will help guide the project's progress and answer questions. Careful planning for sample receipt helps ensure CIDR's resources are efficiently utilized. Project Initiation is a four-step process.

Step 1 — Schedule a Project
Once a genotyping application has been approved and an Investigator receives formal notice from NIH, CIDR will contact the Investigator to confirm the estimated sample number and submission date. For projects with a submission date far in the future, CIDR will periodically re-contact the Investigator for updated projections.

As the time for sample submission approaches, CIDR will contract with the Investigator to establish a timeline for sample shipment that works for both parties. Using information from the Investigator, CIDR will propose a timeline of events leading up to the initiation of the genotyping production effort.

CIDR requires that projects with multiple collection sites coordinate submission of samples and related family information through a single point of contact.

Step 2 — Submit Documents
CIDR will ask the Investigator to supply several documents. Samples will not be accepted until these documents are received. Documents include:

• An Agreement on Genotyping Services, a legal agreement between the Investigator and Johns Hopkins University (JHU)
• A Contact Authorization Form to indicate whom we may contact with questions, and to whom we can provide project updates
• A Sample Information File, an ASCII file in a specific format that must be reviewed and accepted by CIDR. We will provide Investigators with specific details regarding what information should be included in this file and in what format.
• For human projects, copies of Local Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approvals are required from all institutions collecting samples for the project; approvals must be current until genotyping data is released at the end of the project and during any additional data analysis
• For mouse projects, copies of Local Animal Care and Use Approvals are required from all institutions involved in care of animals in the project

Step 3 — Prepare & Ship DNA Samples
CIDR will provide the Investigator with specific instructions and supplies to prepare, package and ship DNA samples and blind duplicates.

Step 4 — Verify Project Initiation Steps are Complete
CIDR will provide a checklist to assist Investigators in verifying all necessary steps have been completed before samples are shipped.