Biosafety Program

Biosafety Education and Training


Persons Required to Complete Training

Training in proper microbiological techniques is required for anyone working with recombinant DNA, infectious agents, select agents, and biological toxins or who works in a laboratory where these materials are used/stored.

The assurance of proper training is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) or laboratory supervisor of the facility in which the hazard is used. We recommend that the PI/Lab Supervisor supplement the training courses by conducting practical demonstrations and assessments of competence in the laboratory.

Training Requirements

There are three types of Biosafety training requirements:

  • Core Course - The Biosafety Principles and Practices course. All persons involved in the conduct of research with infectious agent(s), biological toxin(s), Select Agents/Toxins, and/or recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules must complete the core course requirements before they directly handle the biological material. This must be completed by those who have not completed it previously.
  • Continuing Education (CE) - Must be completed triennially by taking one of the CE courses or by re-taking the live core course.
  • Special Topics - Required only for persons involved in certain types of work.

Courses Offered

Core Course

  • USF Biosafety Training Course - This is required for those who have not completed it previously. It may be repeated in subsequent years to meet the triennial requirement for continuing education. More details are available on the Biosafety Course Registration Page.

Triennial Continuing Education (CE) Courses

Completion of any one of the web-based courses will meet the triennial continuing education (CE) requirement. The online courses are only available for those who have completed the core course in a previous year. These courses are located on YouTube and can be accessed worldwide from the Internet. Each takes about 45 minutes to complete.

To complete the quiz, click on “Show More” in the description box and you should see the link for the quiz. You must complete the quiz to receive credit for the course.

For information on the individual courses and to register for triennial CE courses complete the Continuing Education registration form.

NOTE: The triennial CE requirement may also be met by repeat the live core course (see above).

Biosafety Training course Certificates

Biosafety training certificates are now available online for all Biosafety trainings (Core Course and Triennial CEs).

Biosafety Certificates: Find and Print your Biosafety Training Certificates

Type your last name in the search box and click “Search.” A list of all your Biosafety trainings will show up. Select the training certificate that you want to have and click download. This will download a PDF of your certificate.

CITI Biosafety and Biosecurity (BSS) Series

CITI Biosafety and Biosecurity series consists of modules that cover a variety of topics. The CITI modules address basic information for multiple regulations, standards, and guidelines that can be completed to be fulfil the triennial refreshers training requirement.

Here is the list of CITI courses for Biosafety and Biosecurity (PDF) offered via USF Research Integrity and Compliance. Any of these courses will fulfil the triennial refresher training requirement.

Choose the appropriate CITI course, which typically takes approximately 30 - 45 minutes to complete. For a more detailed description of registration and training see the CITI registration & training (PDF). After you complete the course, you can look up and print your certificate in the Certificates section below. If you register through the VA, you must send a copy of your certificate to the Biosafety Program office via email.

CITI Certificates: Find and Print your CITI Certificates - Certificates are posted within two business days after completion.

Please email the Biosafety Program if you would like additional information.

Special Topics

  • Shipping Biohazardous Materials - Those personnel who ship and/or receive potentially infectious biological agents are required to complete this course biannually. This is computer-based training that takes about 3 hours to complete. Register for the Shipping Training Course

View more information about shipping training and to find out who is required to complete the training.