Research · Highlands Biological Station
Research in a biodiversity hotspot
Nearly a century of continuous field research in the southern Blue Ridge, with labs, housing, collections and protected field sites ready for your project.
Founded 1927A center of Western Carolina UniversityLabs · housing · field sites
01 · Plan a visit
Planning your research visit
Founded in 1927 by biologists and local citizens and now administered by Western Carolina University, HBS has supported field biology for nearly 100 years. Start planning early; some paperwork takes months.
Reserve space
Email hbs@wcu.edu with your dates and the labs, rooms and equipment you need.
hbs@wcu.eduGet permits & approvals
Federal or state permits, and WCU/HBS IACUC approval for vertebrate work.
Permits & IACUCPlan backwards from your start date
Dates come from the guidance on this page. Your home institution’s timelines may be longer.
02 · Resources
What’s here for you
03 · Permits & IACUC
Permits, IACUC & documentation
Researchers follow their home institution’s protocols as well as HBS requirements. File paperwork several months before your visit.
Permits
Research in nearby national forests or national parks needs the appropriate federal or state permit, and a North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission permit may also be required. Send copies of all permits to HBS before you start.
IACUC
HBS IACUC procedures follow those of Western Carolina University. Vertebrate research at HBS needs WCU/HBS IACUC approval before it begins; purely observational work generally doesn’t, though HBS may ask for a submission.
- Allow at least one month before your start date; decisions usually arrive by email within 10 days.
- Outcomes: approved as submitted, approved with conditions, deferred, or disapproved.
- Approval lasts three years. Annual review may be required, and PIs submit the HBS IACUC Renewal Request Form each year during that period.
New research protocols · Modification requests · Adverse event reporting · Renewal form (DOCX)
Data management
Researchers follow the HBS Data Management Policy, including sharing data in a timely and accessible way.
Acknowledging HBS
Please acknowledge HBS support in your publications, send PDFs of resulting papers, and consider sending print copies of theses and dissertations to the E. E. Reinke Library.
Questions about permits or documentation? Email Dr. Jim Costa at costa@wcu.edu.
04 · Funding
Support for your research
Thanks to support from the Highlands Biological Foundation, HBS offers Grants-in-Aid of Research for faculty and students working in the region.
05 · Contacts