Institutional Review Board
About IRB
The Mission of the Institutional Review Boards at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is to ensure that all research participants are treated fairly and ethically and to assist researchers at UTRGV in the inclusion of human subjects protections in both their study designs and implementation. The Office of Research Compliance assists the IRB by facilitating research reviews and providing administrative support. For more information on the Health Affairs IRB, please visit the IRB Support page or email the Office of Research Compliance at irb@utrgv.edu or call (956) 665-3598.
IRB Reciprocity Agreements
In order to avoid duplication of IRB applications to two separate review committees when conducting multi-site studies, 15 UT universities have IRB Reciprocity Agreements. For more information on The University of Texas System Reciprocity Agreements, please visit Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research or email irb@utrgv.edu.
Master Agreements for Clinical Trials/Studies
Master agreements are available as starting points for negotiations with research sponsors for clinical and, in some cases, preclinical or other types of studies. Faculty members are welcome to use these agreements as starting points; however, all contracts must be processed through the appropriate office at each UT Institution. For more information, please visit the Office of Research Compliance where you can find the most current list of companies with whom UT System has executed master agreements for clinical trials/studies on behalf of their component institutions. You can also email them at researchcompliance@utrgv.edu.
TRAINING
Human Subjects Protection Training (CITI)
An active CITI Human Subjects Protection Training and Responsible Conduct of Research Training is required for all members of the research team. The Human Subjects Protection Courses are good for 2 years while the Responsible Conduct of Research Courses are good for 4 years.
The course you should complete depends on the type of research you are going to conduct. All CITI completion reports must be provided upon submission of an IRB request such as a new project or modification to add someone to the project. If you are submitting a continuation request for extension of approval, be sure to check whether your CITI course is still valid. It should be at least 3 months from expiration. For more information, please visit the Office of Research Compliance or email them at researchcompliance@utrgv.edu.
ADDITIONAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES
Assistance with Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) applications for research, teaching, and testing activities involving animals.
iacuc@utrgv.edu
Assistance with Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) applications for research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and biological hazardous materials.
ibc@utrgv.edu