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Institutional Review Board

What to Expect in eIRB 2

Why is the system being upgraded?

eIRB was launched in 2004 and the last major upgrade was in 2009.   eIRB currently includes data for over 5000 approved/active applications, 18,000+ total protocols (new and terminated) and 23,000+ PIs and study team members.  The current architecture and vast amount of data being stored has led to increasing memory issues, slow processing speed, and our inability to take advantage of new features that are available for this product today. Unfortunately, these internal system problems have caused users to spend more time dealing with error messages and poor system performance.  In January 2012, The Office of Human Subjects Research (OHSR) and the Office of Research Environment System (RES) began the arduous task of rebuilding the system with new architecture on the latest software platform available. 

When will eIRB2 be launched?

We are planning to launch eIRB2 on Monday, January 27, 2014.  Prior to the launch, eIRB must be taken offline for a few days to migrate data to eIRB2.  eIRB will be taken offline on Friday, January 24 and will be back up on Monday, January 27. 

Will all applications be transferred to eIRB2?

All active protocols without a pending action and applications in Research Prep created less than 90 days prior to the launch of eIRB2 will be migrated immediately to eIRB2.  Protocols with pending actions will not be migrated to eIRB2 until after the pending actions are complete in eIRB.  Applications in Research Prep that were created more than 90 days prior to the launch of eIRB will not be transferred. Terminated, expired, disapproved, and withdrawn applications will not be migrated to eIRB2. They will remain in eIRB which will act as an archive and will be accessible to PIs and study team members. 

What will happen to the applications and data not transferred to eIRB2?

The current eIRB system will be used to archive terminated, expired, disapproved, and withdrawn applications.   Further Study Actions (i.e., changes in research) approved in eIRB and applications in Researcher Prep for more than 90 days prior to launching eIRB2 will be archived there in a read-only format.  These actions will not be transferred to eIRB2 but will remain available to PIs and study team members.

Are there major differences between eIRB and eIRB2? 

Most of the changes in eIRB2 relate to performance.  However, users will notice the following improvements:

  • The recruitment and drugs/devices sections have been reworked to flow more smoothly.

  • Questions in the Protocol Events (formerly referred to as Problem Events) section are redesigned to help researchers determine whether it is necessary to submit an event immediately or with the continuing review application.

  • “Reviewer Notes” have replaced the “Respond to Issues” activity.  This new activity will allow study teams to respond to IRB issues directly in the relevant section of the application.

How can I find out more about eIRB2?

For more information see our eIRB 2 powerpoint presentation: eIRB 2 Information Session