IRB Alignment
The Human Research Protection Programs on the Charles River Campus and Boston Medical Center /Boston University Medical Campus now share administrative oversight through BU’s Office of Research Compliance. With this administrative change, it presents an opportunity to harmonize aspects of these programs to better align services, ease collaborations, and provide seamless support, education and human subjects protection services to the BU and BMC research communities. A joint working group is exploring where alignment of policies, processes, or systems would benefit our shared research community, while preserving the distinct features of each program where appropriate.
What this means for you right now:
Nothing changes about how you submit your research, which IRB reviews it, or which policies apply. Continue working with the same IRB office you always have.
For research at the Charles River Campus: Contact the CRC IRB
For research at BMC or the Medical Campus: Contact the BMC/BUMC IRB
What’s Already in Place
Several alignment efforts have already moved from concept to implementation. These are listed here with links to the original announcements.
| In Place
Effective January 2026 |
Global Reliance Agreement for CRC Students
A global IRB reliance agreement that automatically covers CRC students participating in BMC/BUMC human subjects research, eliminating the need for individual per-study reliance agreements. |
| In Place
Effective April 2026 |
Global Reliance Agreements for Faculty and Staff
Two new global reliance agreements between CRC, BMC, and BUMC that automatically cover qualifying minimal-risk collaborative research, with specific scope limitations. |
| In Progress | Training Alignment
The two HRPPs are working to align CITI human subjects training requirements to reduce duplicative training for investigators working across campuses. |
What We’re Working On
A joint working group with representation from the CRC IRB, the BMC/BUMC IRB, and the BU Office of Research Compliance is conducting a structured assessment of where alignment between the two programs would benefit the research community.
The working group aims to provide:
- Meaningful benefit to the research community. Alignment efforts that improve the experience of investigators and research participants.
- Meaningful benefit to staff and operations. Alignment efforts that reduce administrative burden and improve process efficiency where opportunities exist.
- Respect for distinct contexts. Alignment efforts that preserve the integrity of the research populations and operational contexts served by each campus.
Investigators will be notified in advance of any change that affects how studies are submitted or reviewed. Updates will be posted to this page as the working group’s assessment and implementation efforts progress.
Share Your Input
Have ideas about where alignment between the two programs could improve your research experience? We want to hear from you. The working group will use this input to inform its assessment.
IRB Alignment Input
Questions
Charles River Campus IRB |
BMC/BUMC IRB |
| For research conducted at the Charles River Campus. | For research conducted at Boston Medical Center or the Medical Campus. |