Office for Research Protections | Institutional Review Board
The Office for Research Protections will be closed for the University’s December break starting December 22; the office will re-open on January 2, 2024. IRB submissions will not be reviewed during that time. HRPP staff will be available “on call” for emergencies during this time – researchers should plan to email irb-orp@psu.edu with the details of their situation and contact information.
The following are deadlines for submission review based on review level:
Full Board Submissions:
- November 21: Last day full-board submissions will be accepted for potential review in 2023
- Receipt by November 21 does not guarantee review at the December board meetings
- Priority will be given to Continuing Reviews expiring in December or before January 7
- All Submissions received November 21 – December 21 will be assigned to a board meeting in 2024
- December 8: Agendas sent out for last meetings
- December 14 & 21: Last meetings for the Non-Compliance and General Review Boards in 2023
- Dates and times of all upcoming board meetings can be found here
Expedited/Exempt (Non-Full Board) and Reliance Submissions:
The review of submissions by the Expedited/Exempt/Reliance team will continue through 5PM on Thursday, December 21, 2023.
Submissions are typically reviewed in the order in which they are received by your assigned IRB analyst. The current volume of submissions precludes pulling items out of the queue unless it is a true emergency that will adversely affect study subjects, funding, or if the study is directly related to COVID treatment. Reviewing submissions out of order means that other investigators' submissions will not receive a timely review. Investigators who believe that their submission requires immediate handling should contact their assigned IRB analyst and provide justification and a description of the specific circumstances.