Obtaining IRB Approval for your Research (Faculty)

IRB (Institutional Review Board) Approvals

It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator/Project Director (PI/PD) of a research grant to obtain IRB approvals for the research project prior to the beginning of the grant. Although a grant proposal may be submitted with the IRB approval "pending," that approval must actually be obtained before an award synopsis can be issued and grant funds can be accessed. Some funding agencies also require evidence of IRB approval for a proposed project as the last step in the review process, and notification of this requirement often comes with little advance notice. For these reasons, it is not a good idea to wait until the last minute to submit an IRB proposal for review; the IRB review process takes time, and PIs/PDs often must provide further information or submit modifications before IRB approval is given. In addition, approval is contingent upon all project personnel having completed the online Human Research Tutorial. Allowing ample lead time to obtain IRB approval for your research project is important.

Faculty advisors/sponsors serve as the PIs on the students' proposals for extramural funding, and faculty advisors/sponsors must sign the students IRB application and complete the online tutorial. To avoid jeopardizing students' applications for extramural support and to avoid delays in the initiation of their research projects, please work closely with your student advisees to insure timely completion of IRB application procedures.

Detailed information about the protocol submission process, deadlines, forms, tutorials required, levels of review, approvals, and FAQs is available on the Web at the following sites: