Welcome to the Institutional Review Board for Health Sciences Research (IRB-HSR)
The Institutional Review Board for Health Sciences Research (IRB-HSR) is responsible for reviewing all medically related research involving human subjects conducted by UVA faculty, employees and students. The IRB-HSR also serves as the HIPAA Privacy Board for research involving Protected Health Information (PHI) as part of the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) at the University of Virginia. Review of human subject research is required for funded and non-funded research and for research conducted by faculty, students, and all those under the purview of the University of Virginia.
Protocol Builder & IRB Online IRB ProOffice Hours Forms
Please see "Access to IRB-HSR Systems While Off Grounds" for details below.
This section covers the basics of the IRB-HSR processes and is a great resource if you are a new investigator.
Here you will find guidance on the different types of IRB-HSR submission processes for your study.
Learn about post-approval study maintenance and end of study requirements to keep your study compliant.
Tools for Study Teams:
Access to IRB-HSR Systems While Off Grounds:
- Protocol Builder and IRB Online
- Protocol Builder and IRB Online are only accessible off grounds via a UVA Anywhere VPN (this is different from a VPN from UVA Health). A digital certificate is required before you can obtain a UVA Anywhere VPN. Contact your department IT personnel for assistance with setting this up.
- IRB PRO
- IRB PRO is accessible off grounds via a Netbadge login. A UVA Anywhere VPN is not required.
2026 Announcements:
- We are pleased to announce that the updated format for IRB Approval Letters (previously known as Assurance Forms) is now live. These updates are part of the Human Research Protection Program's ongoing preparation for the transition to the Huron IRB system. While the content and regulatory information contained within the letters have not changed, researchers will now see a refreshed format and appearance that more closely aligns with the approval letters that will be used in Huron. Implementing this change now will help familiarize study teams with the look and feel of future Huron-generated approval letters and support a smoother transition when the new system launches next spring.
- As part of the Human Research Protection Program's ongoing preparation for the transition to the Huron IRB system, the Evaluate My Project tool will be updated on September 14, 2026, to integrate the HRP-503b Non-Human Subject Research Protocol Template directly into the tool. This enhancement will provide a more structured and standardized process for submitting Non-Human Subject Research (NHSR) determination requests, helping to streamline HRPP review, accelerate determinations, and reduce follow-up requests for additional information. Because the template is built using the Huron Toolkit, implementing this change now will help familiarize researchers with processes and tools that will be part of the future Huron environment and support a smoother transition when the new system launches.
- Past Announcements can be found here.
Events
Note on the Meeting Schedule: Not all studies require Full Board Review for approval. Many studies qualify as minimal risk and can be approved by the IRB Chair or designee on a rolling basis. To learn more, see the Protocol Review Process page.
For new protocols or for modifications requiring submission to the convened Full Board please note:
- For 2026 Meeting Dates, the deadline is at 9 am on the due dates listed.
Submissions will be placed on the agenda per the availability of reviewers from the appropriate specialty. The review of a protocol may need to be delayed to a subsequent meeting if a reviewer from the appropriate specialty is not available or if a large number of protocols are received for one meeting. If this occurs, the investigators will be contacted to determine the urgency needed for a review.
If all protocols considered for a delay in review have the same urgency for review, they will be placed on the agenda according to the submission date. It is therefore best to submit a protocol as soon as it is completed and to not wait until the deadline date. The study team will be notified of the delay prior to the meeting.
Click here to see 2026 dates.