Applications and amendments should be applied for in plenty of time before they are required using Defra’s eDomero online application system. Applicants will need to register as a new user before they can submit an application.
In eDomero, applicants should fill in an online application form which includes a number of details on the work to be carried out including a summary of the nature and objectives of the work, information on the confinement facility, record keeping, experimental procedures, hygiene and waste disposal considerations of the work and a detailed contingency plan describing the processes in place to be followed in the event of any escaped organism.
If you require a purchase order (PO) number in the invoice for your authorisation or amendment, then please either add this when applying on eDomero under the Customer Reference field or email the PO number to APHA CIT.
Following the receipt of this application, Defra will conduct a technical assessment of the application considering:
- If the material is in scope of scientific authorisation?
(This should be determined in advance at the enquiry stage by emailing APHA CIT).
- If the right scientific authorisation type been applied for?
- The biology of the material and its origin
- The likely routes of dissemination
- The facilities to be used and the experimental practices specified in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Applicants may also apply for an amendment to a scientific authorisation, when certain details change, or they wish to work with new organisms. Amendments that require a Defra scientific or technical assessment incur a greater cost (major amendment) and require an edomero amendment application, whilst amendments that do not need an assessment cost substantially less (minor amendment) and can be requested directly from APHA CIT via email. More details on this are provided in the table below but further information can be sought from APHA CIT and Defra.
The latest fees will be recorded on gov.uk - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/moving-prohibited-plants-plant-pests-pathogens-and-soil
Once any technical issues have been addressed Defra will request the local PHSI to undertake a site visit.
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