Posted August 31, 2023 by Tiffany Lee
University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers are increasingly engaged in multi-institutional research projects, which provide the diverse expertise and pooled resources necessary to tackle complex scientific challenges.
To support these efforts, Research Compliance Services has expanded its Single IRB Reliance Program and launched a dedicated webpage devoted to reliance agreements. The site provides comprehensive information and resources to support collaborative research endeavors.
The program will help Nebraska researchers engaged in multi-institutional projects navigate reliance agreements, which enable an institution engaged in non-exempt human subjects research to delegate Institutional Review Board review to an IRB affiliated with a collaborating institution. Reliance agreements document the authorities, roles, responsibilities and communications between the institution/organization providing the ethical review and participating sites relying on a single IRB.
Research Compliance Services’ Neil Rutledge is helping to lead these efforts in his new role as reliance coordinator. Rutledge will play a key role in facilitating the execution of reliance agreements between institutions.
RCS offers these expanded services and resources to support and encourage multi-institutional collaborations, which enable the exchange of knowledge and innovative ideas. Collaborative efforts enable scientists to tackle multifaceted problems from multiple angles, leading to more comprehensive findings that may lead to practical applications in Nebraska and worldwide.
