Research, Including Ethics and IRB
Research and Sponsored Projects and Research Ethics & Integrity assurance, including SMU's Institutional Review Board (IRB), both fall under the purview of Academic Affairs.
Research Starts Here
Advance your research, and ensure ethical conduct of your research projects. Research permeates all schools, and SMU promotes collaboration and interdisciplinary research involving faculty and students. We are at the forefront of research aimed at advancing solutions to fundamental problems affecting the lives and health of the community.
If you plan to apply for External Support from a government agency (city, state, or federal), a foundation, or a corporate sponsor, please fill in the Intent to Apply. The information that you provide will help the University understand the nature of your project so that we can best support the development of your proposal. A minimum of 20 days’ notice is required to ensure sufficient time for obtaining both internal and external approvals, as well as for developing a complete and compelling narrative and project budget that align with university policies.
a. Research and External Funding Intent to Apply Form - Collaboration
b. Placeholder for Word doc with key information...
Research Ethics & Integrity (REI) assurance falls within Academic Affairs to ensure that research being conducted by SMU faculty, staff or students is ethical and meets the Federal Requirements (45 CFR 46) for the protection of human subjects. Academic Affairs supports two processes for the review of research activities.
The Research Protocol Screening (RPS) process, considers research protocols that meet the federal criteria (45 CFR 46) for being exempt or those not involving human subjects. Exempt determinations and non-human subject research (NHSR) are made through the RPS. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews research involving human subjects using full review or expedited review procedures for non-exempt studies.
As of October 2024, all Research Ethics & Integrity / Institutional Review Board resources have moved to SMU Connect, SMU's intranet site. You can find the page by navigating to Departments > Academic & Student Affairs > Research Ethics & Integrity / IRB, or going directly to the following page: https://smuconnect.sharepoint.com/sites/InstitutionalReviewBoard.
SMU Connect is available only to SMU faculty, staff and students.
IRB Office Contact Information
If you have questions about the SMU IRB process, contact Jamie Hirota, IRB Administrator, (510) 879-9200, x7374 (jhirota@samuelmerritt.edu) from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.