Overview of External IRBs

Stony Brook University (SBU) may rely on an external IRB of another institution or organization, or an independent (commercial) IRB, for review and approval of some human research activities.

When relying on an external IRB, whether it is for a single research project or a portion of the organization’s research portfolio, the external IRB must meet Federal regulations for the conduct of research and IRB review. A reliance agreement (also called an IRB Authorization Agreement) must be signed by each institution to document that SBU IRB is willing to cede review to another institution.

Once a reliance agreement is executed, it is the Principal Investigator’s responsibility to adhere to policies and procedures of the IRB of record. The Principal Investigator will also be required to continue to follow all Stony Brook University institutional policies as well as state and local laws governing human subjects research.

Additional Information

 External IRB Policy 

 Which External IRB to Use?