Institutional Review Board

Institutional Review Board

About the Institutional Review Board

The Forman Christian College University  Institutional Review Board (IRB) is charged with reviewing human and animal subjects research. FCCU is committed to protect the rights, welfare, and privacy of individuals participating as subjects in research.

The FCCU- IRB is guided by the ethical principles set forth in the Belmont Report, federal regulations (e.g. DHHS regulations 45 CFR Part 46), state or local laws, and College policies. In accordance with these principles, the IRB strives to create a culture of respect for, and awareness of, the rights and welfare of research participants.

Fulfilling our obligation to uphold the ethical principles and regulations is critical for several reasons:

  1. Compliance with the procedures outlined by the regulations provides research subjects protection from harm that might result from their participation in research.
  2. Compliance with these procedures improves the overall quality of the research conducted at FCCU.
  3. Acknowledgment of the issues inherent to human subject’s research and compliance with the regulations guiding human subjects research will allow faculty and student to continue to conduct research on meaningful and culturally relevant topics.
  4. Many of the concepts outlined in the codes of conduct and ethical principles for research are equivalent to the core values of FCCU,including intellectual inquiry, social responsibility, civic engagement, and cultural awareness. Therefore, the protection of human subjects is a necessary mean to uphold those values.

IRB Review Procedures

Eligibility:

All research involving human subjects conducted at FCCU by faculty, students, or staff must be reviewed and approved by the IRB followed by department enforcement of the process, prior to the collection of any data or interaction with any research subjects.
Meeting Schedule:
The online form along with the relevant documents must be submitted at least two weeks before the IRB meeting.

The schedule of IRB meeting schedule:

1. One meeting in the 2nd week of the fall semester.

2. One in the 2nd last week of the fall semester.

3. One in the 2nd week of the spring semester.

4. One in the 2nd last week of the spring semester.

5. One meeting in winter.

6. One in summer.

Kindly note

1. For every Undergraduate proposal, the Departmental Board of Studies or ERC approval is required.

2. All Research at FCCU must only be conducted with the prior approval of IRB.

3. Retrospective IRB approval is not allowed.

4. Any external applicant who wants to conduct research on campus must seek IRB approval.

For any queries and concerns, you may contact: The Secretary IRB at extension 531 or in the ORIC office at S-26 or send an email at the following address: irb@fccollege.edu.pk