HRPP/IRB Review Policy
The Office of Research Compliance and Outreach (ORCO) is responsible for ensuring Baruch College’s human subject research complies with federal and state regulations, CUNY University policy, and the highest ethical standards. ORCO’s HRPP staff concentrate on reviewing IRB applications to ensure submissions are ready for CUNY UI-IRB review or ready to receive a final determination. A major component of the IRB review process involves providing investigators with personalized feedback and documentation regarding each project’s ethical dimensions in order to ensure compliance with federal and institutional regulations and requirements.
ORCO’s goal is to process each submission in a fair and efficient manner. To allow HRPP staff to conduct a thorough and timely review, submissions are processed on a rolling basis in the order they are received. Investigators frequently request their protocol receive an accelerated review. The current volume of submissions precludes us from pulling items out of the queue. To do so would delay the processing of submissions from other investigators.
Exceptions to the ethics review procedures cannot be made to accommodate external or personal timelines.
No research activities involving human subject participants or identifiable data, including recruitment, may begin until final IRB approval or an exempt determination is granted.
As a guide, investigators should plan to submit a complete application for IRB review at least three months prior to beginning low-risk studies. Researchers planning studies with international subjects, protected or vulnerable populations, or greater- than-minimal-risk research should plan to submit at least six months prior to beginning the study. Sufficient time should be provided in your research plan, as an allowance for any IRB-required changes to the research protocol and office/campus closures. Failure to plan for the IRB review process may delay your timeline for the initiation of the research.