The Mission

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) regulates all research activities involving human subjects on the UNC Asheville campus. The IRB is a committee appointed to ensure rights, safety, and welfare of human research subjects; ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state laws/regulations; and conduct ethical reviews of human research activities including initial, continuation, modification, unanticipated problems and alleged noncompliance. Its primary responsibility is to assure UNC Asheville community (e.g., administrators, contractors, faculty, staff and students) conduct research activities within the University’s commitment to the Federalwide Assurance of Compliance filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP).

The University of North Carolina at Asheville is committed to protecting the rights of and ensuring the safety of human subjects participating in research conducted by faculty, staff and students of the University and for research in which UNC Asheville is engaged. This commitment is vested in the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and is guided by the ethical principles described in the “Belmont Report” and in applicable federal regulations.

Purpose

To protect the rights and welfare of human participants of research conducted by members of the UNC Asheville community, including faculty, administrators, and students. This purpose shall be fulfilled by the review of protocols for such research by members of the Institutional Review Board (IRB). IRB members will determine whether such research meet the standards for ethical conduct of research using human participants, as found in The Code of Federal Regulations Title 45 Part 46: Protection of Human Subjects.