If your research involves human or animal research, you may need Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for your sabbatical project. The IRB for research involving humans is the Human Research Review Committee (HRRC), and for research involving animals it is the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). It is the researcher’s responsibility to determine if IRB approval is needed. If you are unsure, please consult the Office of Research Protections which supports both committees [331-3197], they are very helpful.

Federal Regulations stipulate that IRB approval, once granted, covers research protocols for no more than one year. Hence researchers do not need to have final IRB approval at the time of the application for sabbatical.

The applicant should be aware that the rules governing human subject research in the US and abroad can be very different. In many cases research conducted in foreign countries takes several months for final approval due to slow response times from appropriate authorizing officials in the host country. Careful advance planning is strongly recommended. Please refer to the HRRC website to learn about the requirements and guidelines for your specific country.