Working with MUDEM

This page is an English summary of the Turkish page Çalışmaya Nasıl Başlarım?. If the two versions differ, the Turkish text prevails.

This page summarises the steps for researchers who plan a study with experimental animals at MUDEM, from application to closing the study. The order matters: no study can start without ethics committee approval.

Certificate → Preliminary contact with MUDEM → MUDEM-HADYEK application → Committee decision → Request Form → Payment → Study → Final report

MUDEM and MUDEM-HADYEK are not the same

• MUDEM-HADYEK (Local Ethics Committee for Animal Experiments) assesses whether your study is ethically acceptable and grants approval. Committee approval is required for all studies with experimental animals at the University. Applications are made to the committee secretariat: hadyek@mu.edu.tr
• MUDEM (the Centre) supplies, houses and cares for animals for approved studies and provides the procedures in its fee schedule. Requests are made to the Centre Directorate: mudem@mu.edu.tr

Ethics approval does not automatically start the supply of animals: after approval you must also apply to MUDEM with the Experimental Animal Request Form.

Step by step

1. Check your certificate. Everyone who will perform procedures on live animals must hold an Experimental Animal Use Certificate (Deney Hayvanları Kullanım Sertifikası). Researchers without a certificate cannot perform procedures on animals; they can take part in the study with the help of certified team members. See Certificate course below.
2. Contact MUDEM before you apply. Before the ethics application, consult MUDEM about the species, strain, number of animals and your housing needs. The "Animal Supply and Housing Permission" section of the application form and the application checklist require the approval of the unit that will supply and house the animals.
   It helps to include in your e-mail: the title and principal investigator of the study; species, strain, sex, age or weight and number of animals; the procedures you need (e.g. anaesthesia, blood sampling, gavage) and the expected housing period; the planned start date; the source of funding; and, if you are from another institution, its name.
   Contact: mudem@mu.edu.tr · +90 252 211 58 07
3. Prepare your ethics application. The file contains the MUDEM-HADYEK Application Form, the Declaration of Commitment (Taahhütname) signed by all researchers, and copies of the certificates of the researchers who will perform procedures on animals. Where applicable: permission from the Provincial or District Directorate of Agriculture for farm animals; the owner's informed consent form for clinical studies; and, for researchers who are not MSKÜ staff, a permission document from the unit where the study will be carried out. Before submitting, check your file against the Application Checklist (Turkish).
4. Submit your application to the MUDEM-HADYEK Secretariat. According to the checklist, a digital copy of the application file is sent to the secretariat and two printed copies are delivered with their attachments. The committee meets at least once a month; application deadlines and meeting dates are on the page Başvuru ve Toplantı Takvimi (Application and Meeting Calendar) or can be obtained from the secretariat.
5. Wait for the committee decision. The committee decides that an application is "approved", "requires revision", "conditionally approved" or "not approved". Under the Directive, the decision is notified in writing within 40 working days of the application at the latest; for complex projects this period may be extended once, by up to 15 working days. Approval is granted for a maximum of five years. Applications that require revision are reassessed after they have been corrected.
6. Apply to MUDEM with the Request Form. After approval, complete the Experimental Animal Request Form (Turkish) and send it to the Centre Directorate together with the MUDEM-HADYEK approval letter. In the request schedule on the form, state on which dates and how many animals you need.
7. Pay the fee. Once your request has been reviewed and approved, the amount to be paid is notified to the principal investigator. Breeding of the animals is planned after the payment receipt reaches the Centre Directorate. See Services, Animals and Fees.
8. Carry out your study. Animals are prepared according to the schedule in the request form. Animals produced according to the schedule that are not taken into the experiment within two months are allocated to other projects. Any change to the protocol or to the research team after approval requires the prior written approval of MUDEM-HADYEK; any unexpected adverse effect or event must be reported to the committee immediately.
9. Close the study. Within three months of completing the study, submit a report to the committee secretariat describing the results and the study's contributions to animal welfare and to the 3Rs. Include the statement "MUDEM-HADYEK Onayı Alınmıştır" (MUDEM-HADYEK approval was obtained) in your publications.

Graduate students

For thesis studies, the supervisor submits the MUDEM-HADYEK application as principal investigator. A student who will perform procedures on animals must hold the Experimental Animal Use Certificate.

Researchers from other institutions

Researchers who are not MSKÜ staff must add to their application file a permission document from the unit where the study will be carried out. For requests from outside the University, the conditions stated in the fee schedule apply (see Services, Animals and Fees).

Certificate course

MUDEM and MUDEM-HADYEK organise the "Experimental Animal Use Certificate Course for Researchers" (Category A: mouse, rat and rabbit). According to the programme of the most recent course (January 2026), theory sessions are given online and laboratory sessions face to face at MUDEM in Milas; the course ends with an examination and the award of certificates. New course dates are announced on the Turkish Duyurular (Announcements) page. Details in Turkish: Sertifika Eğitimi.

Language of instruction and validity of the certificate: please ask the MUDEM-HADYEK Secretariat at hadyek@mu.edu.tr. The national list of certificate courses is published by HADMEK, the Central Ethics Committee for Animal Experiments: hadmek.tarimorman.gov.tr

Based on the MUDEM-HADYEK Directive (Articles 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16), the application checklist, the declaration of commitment and the request form; the current Turkish texts of these documents prevail. Last updated: October 2026.