Update from the Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Dear Colleagues,

As many of you know we have been exploring options to replace eRIC, the current IRB management and submission system for human subjects research. The system is outdated and we are nearing the selection of a new system. I would like to thank UIS, particularly Steve Moore and Linda Buckley, as well as Neil Weissman and his colleagues at MHRI, and all those who have helped us vet the replacement options, providing honest and timely feedback.

The new software will fully replace eRIC within the next year and we ask for your patience. We are well aware of the limitations; the Office of Regulatory Affairs, UIS, and the Institutional Review Boards have been working diligently to handle the constraints of the system.

In the meantime, we continue to make process improvements, including the following:

Currently, eRIC requires Chairs to sign off on all applications. Chairs must routinely approve applications in eRIC quickly so there are no delays in reaching IRB staff.
IRB staff will be responsible for determination of non-human subject research and will determine whether an application should be exempt or not from IRB review. This will reduce the Committee load and speed up processing of exemptions. Exemption requests will not be subject to Committee review.
IRB staff will also determine if a protocol that requires review will receive full or expedited review. For advice on whether your study is appropriate for expedited review, please contact the IRB office before submission.
To address the workflow more effectively, we will recruit more Main Campus research active members to serve on Committee C.

If you have specific questions about eRIC during this interim period, please contact erichelp@georgetown.edu. You also may contact Kristen Katopol, Director, Human Subject Protection Program, at krk63@georgetown.edu.

With my best regards,
Bob Clarke