IRB Deadlines for Submission of Applications for Approval

Only applications that require Full Board Review must be submitted by the first Friday of every month.

Some examples of research that require Full Board Review are listed below:

• studies involving vulnerable populations such as prisoners
• studies that are more than minimal risk
• studies involving sensitive topics
• complex studies that may require the expertise of more than one board member

An application submitted on the first Friday of the month will be reviewed at that month’s meeting (the IRB typically meets during the third week of the month). Please note: assignment to an agenda is not automatic and may vary depending on the completeness of the submission, complexity of the project, how quickly the researcher responds to comments during the pre-review, and attaining quorum at the monthly meeting.

An investigator may request an expedited review of their application if the proposed research activity is within one of the categories eligible for expedited review (external link). Applications requesting expedited review may be submitted at any time. The IRB aims to review and send comments back to investigators within ten working days (please note: this does not mean that you will have IRB approval in ten days).

Principal Investigators (PIs) are advised to submit their applications well in advance of the proposed start date or the continuing review date of the study. An exact IRB approval timeline cannot be provided as it will vary from one submission to another, and may also vary due to periods of high submission volume.

Please contact the IRB office if you have questions.