Conducting Sponsored Research

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) may not release funds for proposals involving human subjects until an IRB approval letter for such human subjects activities has been received. It is the principal investigator's (PI) responsibility to provide OSP with the IRB approval letter that matches the grant proposal / application.

Interim approval allows for the release of OSP funds prior to the completion of an IRB application and receipt of an IRB approval letter (learn more).

It is the principal investigator's (PI) responsibility to apprise the IRB of the IRB application's related OSP proposal and grant numbers. The IRB application requests such numbers, and if unknown at the time of submitting the IRB application, the PI must email the numbers to the IRB, once available (irb@vt.edu), or enter the numbers using the IRB Protocol Management system.

The Office of Sponsored Programs may not release funds for federally funded non-exempt studies until the IRB has the opportunity to compare the OSP proposal to the IRB application. In order to compare the two, the IRB must be informed of the OSP proposal number and/or be provided with the grant application / proposal. It is the responsibility of the principal investigator to supply the IRB with such information.

Prior to granting IRB approval, the IRB will compare the two documents for consistency and if found to be satisfactory, will release an approval letter indicating that the comparison has been completed; therefore, OSP may release study funds for study procedures related to human subjects.

If the PI is not informed of the OSP proposal number prior to IRB submission, the IRB may still approve the study and provide the PI with an IRB approval letter. The approval letter may indicate that the study’s OSP proposal and IRB application have not been compared for consistency, unless the PI supplies the IRB with a copy of the related grant proposal. Once the OSP proposal number has been generated, OSP will contact the PI to inform him/her of the OSP proposal number. It is then the responsibility of the PI to apprise the IRB of this number. The IRB will, as applicable, consequently review the IRB application and OSP application for consistency and if found to be consistent, will provide the PI with a second IRB approval letter indicating that the comparison is complete and that OSP may release funds for study procedures related to human subjects.

Investigators who do not receive IRB re-approval or close the study prior to the study’s IRB expiration date will receive correspondence from the IRB (departmental heads and OSP may also receive this letter) indicating that the study has expired and that all data collection and analysis must cease. In addition, OSP may receive a formal request from the IRB Chair to freeze funds until the issue is resolved.