Institutional Review Board
An Institutional Review Board (IRB) must be set up to insure the privacy and security of research participants. The AAC Research Alliance will provide the IRB for any approved project that does not have an IRB in place.
The purpose of the IRB review is to assure, in advance and through periodic review, that appropriate steps are taken to protect the rights and welfare of individuals participating as subjects in a research study. To accomplish this purpose, the IRB will review research protocols and related materials (e.g., informed consent documents and communication between PIrinicpal Investigator (PI) and participants) to ensure protection of the rights and welfare of participants in PRC-sponsored research. The chief objectives of every IRB protocol review are to:
- assess the scientific merit of the research and its methods;
- promote fully informed and voluntary participation by prospective subjects who are themselves capable of making such choices (or, if that is not possible, informed permission given by a suitable proxy); and
- maximize the safety of subjects once they are enrolled.
A representative of the IRB will secure from the PI and retain written assurance of the following certifications:
- Information submitted within the application is true, complete and accurate to the best of the PI’s knowledge.;
- Any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims may subject the PI to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties.;
- the PI agrees to accept responsibility for the scientific conduct of the project and provide the required progress reports if a grant is awarded as a result of the application.
If multiple PIs are proposed in an application, this assurance will be retained for all named PIs.
