Information for New Faculty

Welcome to the MSU Human Research Protection Program! This webpage includes some introductory information to help you transition any ongoing human research projects or to start the process for any new human research projects.

New Faculty Conference Call – To Help Transition Projects to MSU

We encourage new faculty to set-up a “New Faculty Conference Call” with the IRB manager, Becky Gore. The purpose of the conference call is to:

• Obtain information from you about your ongoing or planned human research projects
• Provide guidance on submitting the projects to the MSU IRB and/or reliance upon another IRB’s approval
• Provide an opportunity for you to discuss any questions you may have about the MSU HRPP

Follow-up calls may also be scheduled for more complex human research projects. If you would like to schedule a New Faculty Conference Call, please send an email to irb@msu.edu and we will work with you to set-up a call.

MSU IRB Approval of Ongoing Human Research Projects

If you are still engaged in human research (e.g., interacting and/or intervening with subjects, obtaining and/or analyzing private identifiable data about subjects or identifiable biospecimens), this activity needs to be reviewed by the MSU IRB or a reliance agreement is needed. This includes continued collaborations with a previous institution, transfer of the activities to MSU, bringing private identifiable data or identifiable biospecimens to MSU to analyze, etc.

If the project will continue to receive IRB approval at your previous institution, it may be possible to rely upon the previous institution’s IRB approval after consideration of several factors (e.g. funding, lead institution, location of research procedures). We highly recommend that you schedule a New Faculty Conference Call to discuss the transfer of projects to MSU. 

More detailed information about reliance is available on the MSU HRPP Reliance webpage.

More detailed information of what and how to submit is available on the MSU HRPP What & How to Submit webpage. 

Templates for IRB submissions are available on the MSU HRPP Templates webpage. 

Access to Click™ Research Compliance System and NetID

Click is MSU's online research compliance system. Click is used to submit all new applications to the IRB. A NetID is needed to submit IRB applications in the Click™ Research Compliance System. As a new faculty member, your NetID is auto-generated once your hiring is completed in Human Resources.

For departments hiring academic faculty, there is an optional pre-onboarding process that may assist with the transition to MSU. It is possible to provision a limited group of services to incoming faculty and academic staff prior to being fully processed and hired in EBS, including obtaining a NetID. Visit https://netid.msu.edu/faculty-staff/index.html to obtain information about the pre-onboarding process.

If you would like access to Click prior to your start date, you will need to obtain a NetID and your department will need to submit an Access Request through the eARM process to request access as a Click Affiliate. Visit https://hrpp.msu.edu/click/access.html for instructions.

Click Resources

There are quick guides and videos available to researchers to assist in submitting IRB applications in Click. Please visit https://hrpp.msu.edu/click/index.html for log in and links to resources.

Required Training

Any individual engaged in human research overseen by MSU must complete and maintain current HRPP/IRB certification prior to engaging in human subject research. HRPP/IRB Certification can be achieved through the MSU Office of Research Regulatory Support (ORRS) training system. An active MSU NetID or Guest ID is required to access the MSU ORRS training system. For more information about the ORRS training system, please visit https://orrs.msu.edu/train/new-users/index.html For more information about human subject research training requirements, please visit: https://hrpp.msu.edu/training/index.html

MSU IRB Requirements – When is IRB Review Required?

When a planned activity meets the definitions of “research” and/or “clinical investigation” involving a “human subject,” the regulations regarding the protection of human subjects apply. According to MSU HRPP requirements, human subject research must be approved by an MSU IRB or determined to be exempt from IRB review prior to engaging in any human research activity, including contact with human subjects or data collection.

However, it is possible for MSU to rely on another institution for IRB review. MSU may enter into a written agreement (Institutional Authorization Agreement (IAA) or IRB reliance agreement) to rely on another institution’s IRB review or to allow another institution to rely on MSU’s IRB review. If you have questions about the reliance process, please contact Kim Hess, IRB Administrator III (phone: 517-884-6018; email: ora.irbreliance@msu.edu); she is the reliance coordinator for the HRPP. This can also be discussed with the IRB manager, Becky Gore, during a New Faculty Conference Call.

If you are unsure whether your project needs review by the IRB or HRPP, you can submit a form titled “HRP-512 - Template - Determination of Human Subject Research” through Click. The form is available at https://hrpp.msu.edu/templates/index.html

More detailed information of activities requiring review are available on the MSU HRPP Activities Requiring Review webpage. 

More detailed information regarding different review types are available on the MSU HRPP Review Types & Process webpage. 

Questions? Please Contact Us

If you have any questions, please contact us! 

Email: irb@msu.edu

Phone: 517-355-2180