Selecting sIRB

For an NIH-funded multi-site project, investigators must designate the sIRB as part of the grant application and contract proposal. For example:

• The IRB at the lead PI’s site;
• The IRB at a participating site;
• The IRB at a non-participating site;
• Commercial/Independent IRB;
• An IRB specifically set up for an already-established-and-funded research network or consortium.  This option is available only if the study you are proposing will be conducted under the auspices of the network/consortium.
• In most situations, the lead PI, in collaboration with the HRPP at the lead PI’s institution, will select the sIRB. The selected IRB must be willing to serve as the sIRB and all of the participating sites must agree to rely on the sIRB. The IRB also must be registered with the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) to serve as a sIRB.

Yale approved IRBs for sIRB

When a Yale Investigator is the awardee of a multi-site grant, Yale plans to cede IRB oversight to an external IRB to serve as the sIRB on Yale’s behalf. If a commercial IRB is selected, Yale will cede IRB oversight to one of the 3 external IRBs below.

• Advarra
• BRANY
• WCG/WIRB

If you have questions regarding any of the commercial IRBs, please contact the HRPP office at hrrp@yale.edu.

If you prefer to employ services of a commercial IRB not listed above, please contact the HRPP office at hrpp@yale.edu prior to submitting the grant application as there may be additional contractual considerations that must be taken into account when choosing an external IRB that does not have a master agreement with Yale.