UW-Madison leaders say they need to create a new position to handle the university's vast research enterprise, sparked in part by run-down animal facilities that could have cost the school millions in federal funding.

This is the latest attempt by the university to better oversee its nearly $900 million research operation, which has faced a shortage of safety inspectors and a major lab safety violation in recent years.

The new vice chancellor for research and his or her office would manage research grants, compliance with federal guidelines, and have a presence in Washington D.C.

University officials revealed this week that one of the university's animal research programs had been on probation for three years because of aging facilities. In a last-ditch effort, UW-Madison was able to prevent losing accreditation about a year-and-a-half ago by moving the animals to the new Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR) building.

The problems could have caused "a suspension of research funding in all areas using animals," had they not been corrected, said Provost Paul DeLuca.

The university gets between $200 million and $500 million in grants for related research on or using animals, said Eric Sandgren, who oversees animal research at UW-Madison.

After an inspection roughly five years ago, the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care -- an agency that evaluates the quality of animal research -- told UW-Madison that conditions in the 85-year-old Medical Sciences Center, 1300 University Ave., were below required standards.

The facility, which holds mostly rats and mice, lacked adequate temperature control and modern cleaning equipment, Sandgren said.

Last fall, officials were given one last chance to improve the animal quarters, which DeLuca described as "beyond repair."

"It was really a mid-air collision avoidance," DeLuca said.

In the "11th hour," he said, they were able to move animals to new facilities in WIMR, before the agency's visit. The program is off probation now.

Accreditation is not directly tied to federal funding, but the problems flagged could have jeopardized funding from agencies such as National Institutes of Health, officials said.

DeLuca cited that incident as a reason why UW-Madison needs a new vice chancellor for research. He also referenced a backlog of research projects that were awaiting safety approval because of a lack of staff and a "major action" violation by a lab on campus.

A "major action" violation occurs when someone introduces a drug-resistant gene into an organism, which compromises the use of the drug to control disease agents in humans, veterinary medicine or agriculture.

The university will not release details of that incident because of an ongoing investigation.

"The existing structure is simply overtaxed," DeLuca said. "There's too much demand on too small an organization."

But not all faculty and staff on campus agree that the compliance problems will be fixed by DeLuca's proposal.

Bill Tracy, a professor in the department of agronomy, said there are no cost estimates for the plan and faculty members were left out of its development. He said the Graduate School has been highly successful at handling research.

"Do we really know whether the problems would be fixed by the [vice chancellor for research] office?" he asked.

A town hall meeting on the proposed reorganization is scheduled for Friday from 1 to 2 p.m. in 3650 Humanities, 455 N. Park St.

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