On November 22, 2019, OHRP announced that federally-funded multisite studies with IRB approval before 1/20/20, do not need to move to single IRB review, per the revised Common Rule. OHRP made this announcement after receiving feedback from institutions pointing out that transitioning ongoing studies from local IRBs to a single IRB would result in unnecessary burden and cost.

What does this mean to you?

• If your federally funded multi-site study IS approved by the IRB before January 20, 2020, it will not need to be reviewed by a single IRB per the revised Common Rule.  
• If your federally-funded multi-site study DOES NOT have IRB approval before January 20, 2020, all domestic participating sites will need to be reviewed by a single IRB per the revised Common Rule.  

Important Note: NIH-funded multi-site studies may still be required to use a single IRB of record in accordance with the NIH Single IRB Mandate which took effect in 2018.  Check with your NIH Program Officer if you have questions about the applicability of the NIH Single IRB Mandate on your NIH-funded research.