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Human Subjects Research

InfoEd IRB Module updates were implemented on December 16th!

See the InfoEd Updates page for more information.

UConn-Storrs Human Research Protection Program (HRPP)

UConn-Storrs is dedicated to the protection of human subjects in research activities conducted under its auspices. The HRPP also covers research involving human participants conducted under the auspices of the Hartford, Waterbury, Avery Point, and Stamford campuses of the University of Connecticut.

The UConn-Storrs Institutional Review Board (IRB) within the HRPP reviews human subjects research to ensure that the studies it approves have appropriate safeguards for the ethical, compliant, and safe conduct of research, as well as the protection of the rights and welfare of the human subjects who will volunteer for participation. UConn-Storrs investigators must appreciate and understand their ultimate responsibility and obligation to protect the subjects participating in their studies. This includes conducting the study as approved by the IRB and reporting any unanticipated problems or noncompliance to the IRB for review and appropriate action.

The IRB is guided by the ethical principles of Autonomy, Beneficence and Justice, as outlined in the Belmont Report. The subject’s autonomy must be respected, study harms must be minimized and potential study benefits must be maximized, and the selection of who is versus who is not asked to serve as research subjects must be fair and directly related to the problem being studied (and not because of a group’s easy availability or compromised position).

If an investigator is part of an institution that already has its own IRB, either the UConn or the other institution’s IRB may serve as the IRB of record. The arrangement would be documented by a reliance or authorization agreement, which outlines each institution’s role in the research.