Use of a Single, Independent IRB: Case Study of an NIH Funded Consortium

In 2014, the Request for Applications from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for continued funding of a multi-site clinical and mechanistic research network, Inner City Asthma Consortium (ICAC), called for "efficient IRB review and approval for multi-center studies" and "IRB approval within 30 days from submission". These requirements were precursors to the NIH policy of single IRB review for multi-site studies. Here we share our challenges, implementation processes, results, and recommendations, using a single, independent IRB.