NIH defines sIRB as the selected IRB of record that conducts the ethical review for participating sites of a multi-site study.

Effective January 25, 2018, the National Institute of Health implemented a policy requiring the Use of a Single Institutional Review Board for Multi-Site Research.  The goal of the sIRB policy is to reduce the burden of the IRB review process for multi-site research conducting the same protocol, allowing research to proceed effectively and expeditiously without compromising the protections of human subjects.

Who is required to use sIRB?

The sIRB policy mandates that all domestic sites participating in multisite studies under the same research protocol involving nonexempt human subjects research will use an sIRB to conduct the ethical reviews required by HHS for the protection of human subjects. The policy also applies to NIH’s intramural programs. It does not apply to career development, research training, or fellowship awards

See policy here: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-16-094.html and an FAQ here.

Contact the UMass Chan IRB before submitting a grant that involves sIRB.