Revised Memo re: New requirements for identifying funding source for IRB studies in eIRB+
Revised Memo re: New requirements for identifying funding source for IRB studies in eIRB+
What is changing? Effective January 19, 2019, the funding page in the eIRB+ application has been updated to require the submission preparer to select the InfoEd number (e.g., SP0054321) that corresponds to the grant or contract funding sponsored IRB studies. There will be no change to non-sponsored, or internally-funded studies.
When a study is created in eIRB+, on the funding page, you will be asked to identify whether the project is sponsored or non-sponsored. If “sponsored” is selected, you will be required to select the correct InfoEd number from a list that corresponds to the grant, contract, or other mechanism funding the study. The individuals best positioned to know exactly which grant or contract is funding any given study are the research or finance administrators in the department.
If your project is sponsored, but did not go through Northwestern University (e.g., SRALab or Lurie Children’s is managing the grant), please select “No” to the question, “Is this funded by a sponsored project awarded to Northwestern University?” and then proceed to enter your funding information as you normally would have prior to this update.
Why make this change? This initiative is the result of a joint effort between the IRB Office, the Office for Sponsored Research, and the Conflict of Interest (COI) Office. This will help to ensure the accuracy of Northwestern University’s research records and the associated processes that depend on associating the correct funding source with sponsored human research projects. For sponsored research, this linkage will be an attestation by the PI of the correct match and therefore evidence of regulatory compliance when the university must demonstrate a project has approval.Systematically linking the InfoEd record of the funding source to the appropriate IRB study will help our offices understand which projects are related to each other, minimize delays in the final stages of approval and/or contract signing, expedite required reporting by the COI Office, and build a foundation for streamlined billing in the future.
What are the next steps? Review the attached FAQs and plan to attend one of the upcoming OSR monthly meetings scheduled for February 19, 2019 (Evanston Campus) and February 21, 2019 (Chicago Campus), where we will walk through the updated eIRB+ funding page and answer any questions.
Who can I contact? If you are experiencing any technical difficulties and need troubleshooting assistance, or if you would like to submit comments/feedback on the process, please send an email to: orhelp@northwestern.edu.
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