Welcome to the UIW IRB online application system
The University of the Incarnate Word's Institutional Review Board ensures University compliance with federal, state, local, and University regulations with regard to human subjects research. For information on regulatory compliance, policy and procedure, or the UIW IRB, please contact the Office of Research and Graduate Studies at (210) 805-3555.
Before You Apply
- Review the Guide to the UIW IRB Process and IRB Policies, Procedures and Guidance and familiarize yourself with the approval process, regulations for the conduct of human subjects research, and responsibilities of the principal investigator (PI).
- Be sure all investigators – including co-investigators and faculty supervisor (if applicable) – take the required CITI training before applying.
Remember: The IRB cannot review protocols for projects that are in-progress or already completed. Per federal regulations, human subjects research cannot be reviewed for IRB approval following the conduct of the research.
Creating a New User Account
The UIW IRB uses the “Ethics Review Manager” web-based management system. In order to use the system, applicants will need to create a New User account.
Remember: If you are a student you must include your faculty supervisor. As an applicant, your faculty supervisor must also have an Ethics Review Manager account.
Follow these steps to register for an account:
- Click on “Log in” at the top right corner of the page.
- Click on “New User”
- Fill in the applicable information (Note: you can skip fields that aren’t relevant to you), and agree to Terms and Conditions
- Note: A password must be 10+ characters long, contain both upper and lowercase characters, and contain at least 1 special character (!@%)
- Click “Register” and an activation email will be sent to the entered address
- Open the activation email and click the activation link provided
- Return to the login page and click “Log in”
Completing and Submitting the Application
All applications must be submitted online via this website. Guides can be found by clicking the “Help” tab at the top left of the screen above. The Help section also includes a number of templates.
A complete online IRB Application includes the following components:
- Application Form
- Research Protocol
- Recruitment Materials (e.g., emails, flyers, scripts for in-person recruitment)
- Consent Documents (e.g., formal, signed consent, emailed invitations to surveys)
- Instruments for Data Collection (e.g., surveys,
interview questions)
- Recruitment Materials, Consent Documents, Instruments for Data
Collection, and any additional supplementary documentation are uploaded to the
Documents section of the online application.
- Please note that the online Research Protocol form cannot accept tables or figures; any tables or figures you would like to include with your Research Protocol should be referenced in the Protocol and uploaded as Word files to the Documents section.
Read each section of the application carefully and provide all required information. Incomplete applications will be returned without review. If the PI is a student, the Faculty Supervisor’s contact information must be provided, and the application will be forwarded to the Faculty Supervisor for review and signature before submission.
Notification of Approval
Applicants will be notified electronically of IRB decisions including: requests for revision or clarification, conditional approval, and approval. Unless you receive a letter of approval, you may not initiate any research activity involving human subjects.
Continuing
Review, Study Status Update, Amendment, Unanticipated Problem Reporting, and Closure
IRB approval is good for one year. Before a protocol's expiry, investigators must submit a request for a renewal or closure of the protocol. The Continuing Review form should be used to renew all Expedited and Full Board protocols. The Study Status Update form should be used to renew all Exempt protocols. A Closure form should be used to report the closure of all protocols. Submission is mandatory. Failure to inform the IRB of continued work or closure of a protocol will result in administrative closure and notification of Federal and University policy violation.
Courtesy notification of protocol expiry is given 60, 30, and 14 days prior to expiration.
Any change to the approved study (including research procedures, instruments, title, research sites, addition or removal of investigators, change of faculty supervisor, number of subjects, consent form, or recruitment materials) must be reported to the IRB before implementation using the Amendment Request form.
An unanticipated problem that may pose risks to participants or others or a protocol deviation must be reported to the IRB immediately according to federal regulations. The window for promptly reporting unanticipated problems to the UIW IRB is five working days (Monday-Friday).
To submit Continuing Review, Amendment, Unanticipated Problem/Protocol Deviation and Closure Request forms, return to your approved IRB protocol within the online system and choose "Create SubForm" from your protocol's Action menu.
Not Regulated Research
The IRB Office will consider requests for determination of Not Human Subjects Research (Non-Regulated Research). Requests are submitted via this system and a determination letter is provided when appropriate.
A NRR project may be converted to regulated research through amendment or by copying it to a new project.