Stanford as Reviewing IRB

Overview

Stanford may consider entering into a reliance agreement to be the Reviewing IRB for external organizations in some situations.

When Can I Request Stanford to Serve as the Reviewing IRB?

The Stanford IRB will assess every study to determine if Stanford is a good fit to act as the Reviewing IRB. Fit accounts for researcher needs, Stanford IRB capacity and institutional risk. All decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, and an investigator should not assume the Stanford IRB will agree to act as the Reviewing IRB.

Stanford would generally not be considered a good fit to serve as the Reviewing IRB in the following scenarios:

• Industry sponsored drug and device trials;
• Federally funded studies if Stanford is not the lead site, coordinating center, or primary contributor to the project;
• Studies with a large number of sites;
• Projects with complex study designs and procedures; or
• Studies that include sites in different states when there is conflicting state laws related to the research.

Stanford may be considered a good fit to serve as Reviewing IRB in the following scenarios:

• Studies that qualify as minimal risk;
• Federally funded studies where Stanford is the lead site, coordinating center, or primary contributor to the project;
• Studies with sites that are familiar to the Stanford IRB, such as:
  • Sites the Stanford IRB has worked with before,
  • Sites that have similar institutional HRPP practices as Stanford, or
  • Sites that are AAHRPP accredited or CARE-Q certified; or
• Studies with community sites that partner with Stanford.

If you are unsure whether your study meets the general criteria for the Stanford IRB to consider acting as Reviewing IRB, please contact the Single IRB team.

Are there Fees when Stanford Serves as Reviewing IRB?

The Stanford IRB charges review fees for Relying Sites that use the Stanford IRB as the Reviewing IRB. See Review Fees for Stanford as Reviewing IRB for information. 

Single IRB review fees should be included as a direct line item in the grant budget prior to submission.

What if Stanford Will Not be the Reviewing IRB?

Review General Information on Single IRB Review Requirements to confirm if sIRB review is required for your study, or if the study can be submitted to the Stanford IRB for review of Stanford activities only.

If Single IRB review is required for your study under a federal regulation and Stanford will not be a good fit to serve as the Reviewing IRB, please review information for Stanford as Relying IRB to determine next steps.

How do I Request Stanford be the Reviewing IRB for External Organization(s)?

Submit a Reliance Request Form to receive a determination if reliance on the Stanford IRB is appropriate. 

Resources for Stanford as Reviewing IRB

• Stanford sIRB Consent Templates (coming soon)
• SMART IRB Resources for Investigators and Study Teams

Page updated October, 2025