Kuali Institutional Review Board Module Coming Soon

Many of you involved in research activities have interacted with the new Kuali system for research administration. UC San Diego implemented Kuali Research for grants administration and Kuali COI for conflict of interest reporting in January of this year. Next up is the Institutional Review Board module, Kuali IRB. 

All researchers know that IRB review is a critical and required component of conducting human subject research. Kuali IRB takes the next step in not only transforming the IRB review experience, but also integrating administration and conflict of interest under a common research administration software platform. The result will be efficiency, improved compliance and reduced work for researchers and their staff!

Under executive sponsor Dr. Gary Firestein, Dean and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical and Translational Research, the Kuali IRB team will be working closely with the vendor to make the IRB transition as smooth as possible. The Kuali IRB team's Change Lead and Director of Human Research Protections Program Kip Kantelo will be bringing you important updates over the next few months. 

This work is being done in close collaboration with units from across the university, including the Office of Research Affairs and Information Technology Services. Like other ESR system transitions, you can look forward to training, webinars and Q&A sessions, among others, to help prepare you to use the new module.

The Kuali IRB module will:

• Replace the existing application and review process for the UC San Diego IRB.
• Include dynamic web forms and integrated commenting and response, reducing the number of steps and documents to navigate.      
• Have a similar look, feel and behaviors as the Kuali Research and Kuali COI modules you are already using, making learning the IRB module easier.
• Include a reimagining of the IRB workflow and types of information collected for more transparent processes and work forms better reflecting current regulatory requirements
• Reduce guesswork and duplicative effort
• Talk to other Kuali modules. While this capability will be limited at Kuali IRB go-live, planned integration will reduce re-entry of the same data into multiple systems.

The project team is currently configuring the smart-form questions for our unique environment. After configuration, the forms will be tested then the system piloted with IRB staff, IRB members and research team subject matter experts.

Finally, the project team will complete formal system validation testing consistent with FDA requirements for research systems. This means there are a number of steps to complete before you can start entering new protocols into Kuali IRB, but the IRB office is excited to be bringing this new program to the university and we want you to know what to expect! 

The current target for the Kuali IRB launch is late Spring/early Summer 2021. Look for information about webinars, Q&A events and training opportunities in future update articles and on the ESR Kuali IRB project site. Existing IRB system users will also be contacted directly for studies and updates.

Stay tuned to the ESR Program Newsletter for general updates on project status and upcoming milestones. Kuali IRB will be an exciting new tool for university researchers!