The Charles River Campus (CRC) Institutional Review Board (IRB) is responsible for reviewing and approving research with human subjects that is conducted by CRC researchers. The purpose of the IRB is to protect the rights and welfare of research subjects and to assure that the research it approves is in accordance with ethical guidelines, federal regulations, state law, IRB policies and procedures, and best practices. BU researchers are responsible for carrying out the ethical conduct of research with human subjects in accordance with their approved protocols and the rules, regulations, and policies of the IRB.
Researchers on BU’s Medical Campus should make use of the BUMC IRB website.
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The Charles River Campus IRB requires all individuals involved in human subjects research to complete training in human subjects protection.
NIH has issued a new Data Management and Sharing Policy to promote the sharing of scientific data from NIH-funded research. As of Wednesday, January 25, 2023, the NIH expects investigators to submit a formal plan for review when applying for funding.
Boston University’s IRBs have put in place global reliance agreements to streamline multisite collaboration across the Charles River Campus (CRC), Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC). These agreements: Automatically apply to qualifying minimal‑risk collaborative research Simplify and standardize the reliance process for faculty and staff working across the campuses Take effect […]
Boston University's Institutional Review Boards (IRB) announce a new, streamlined process for Charles River Campus (CRC) students collaborating on human subjects research at Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC) and/or Boston Medical Center (BMC). What's Changed Previously, each research study involving CRC students collaborating on a BMC/BUMC study required a reliance agreement between the CRC IRB […]
TO: Boston University Faculty, Staff and Graduate Students FROM: The Charles River Campus Institutional Review Board DATE: May 6, 2025 SUBJECT: Enhancing Participant Privacy and Confidentiality Recent federal actions and proposals have raised new concerns about privacy among Boston University researchers and research participants. During this time of transition, the BU Charles River Campus Institutional […]
TO: Boston University Principal Investigators FROM: Charles River Campus Institutional Review Board DATE: April 3, 2025 SUBJECT: Research Approved on a Triennial Basis As a reminder to investigators who have studies that have been approved for a period of three (3) years, a submission of a progress report is required on a triennial basis (every […]
The Boston University Institutional Review Board (IRB) has issued updated guidance to clarify its policies and procedures for changing the overall Principal Investigator (PI) on active studies. Those individuals looking to initiate this change should follow these steps: Complete and Submit a Staff Amendment Form: This form should include information about the current PI and […]
The Charles River Campus Institutional Review Board (CRC IRB) is discontinuing annual progress reports for expedited research and moving instead to a triennial review cycle. For research teams, this will go into effect at the next expedited annual progress report review and will apply to all newly approved expedited research going forward. Annual continuing review […]