UO investigators involved in human subjects research now have a new tool that allows them to electronically submit new studies for institutional review.

Accessible through the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation website, the new module is part of a suite of resources known as the Research Administration Portal that aim to improve research administration services and efficiency for faculty members, staff and students.

“The Research Administration Portal better positions us to support our research community in the ethical conduct of human subject research,” said Sheryl Johnson, director of Research Compliance Services, the unit that supports the UO community and human research through regulatory compliance and best practices. “We are excited to use this tool to facilitate the review of human subject research efficiently and are here to help our researchers every step of the way.”

The new tool supports the UO’s Institutional Review Board, which protects the rights and welfare of participants in research involving human subjects. Samantha Shune, an assistant professor and program director in the Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences, participated in trainings and workshops on the new module.

"The new Institutional Review Board module will really allow for a more efficient and streamlined preparation, submission, review and communication process,” Shune said. “As a researcher who always seems to have multiple principal investigator and student projects going at once, it will be immensely helpful to have all relevant information in a single centralized location.”

The Institutional Review Board module is being rolled out in two phases to help ensure a smooth transition for the research community.

The first phase, a soft launch, was released Jan. 25 and is for new study submissions only. Investigators should submit and manage their new study submissions from the Institutional Review Board module, accessible via the Research Administration Portal information page. Investigators with a study in place prior to Jan. 25 should continue to manage their study using previous business processes.

The second phase will be a full launch of the Institutional Review Board module this spring. In preparation, Research Compliance Services will migrate all existing studies into the system and all investigators will submit and manage all transactions through the Institutional Review Board module.

Research Compliance Services has developed an abundance of resources to support researchers during the transition, including the following:

• For more information about the soft and full launches, visit the Institutional Review Board module transition page.
• New and updated resources can be found on the human subjects research webpage including guidance, remotely conducted workshops and more.
• Stay tuned to the Research Administration Portal information page for updates about the Institutional Review Board module and additional Research Administration Portal modules coming in the next few years, including those focused on conflict of interest and commitment, animal research and operations management, effort certification, and grants management.