The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP), a unit of the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, provides administrative services and leadership for the University of Northern Iowa's research services and research compliance programs. Our mission for the research compliance program is to assist the Provost in maintaining a research environment at UNI that fosters honesty, integrity, and a sense of community.
UNI's research compliance program oversees Human Participants, Animal Care and Use, Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR), Research Misconduct, Conflict of Interest, and Export Controls. The purpose of compliance oversight is to ensure that all research at UNI is undertaken with integrity and is in compliance with University, local, state, federal, and funding agency regulations for research. All investigators conducting research that involves human participants or animals - including investigators who are faculty, professional and scientific staff, undergraduate and graduate students - whether receiving external funding or not, must obtain approval from the appropriate research compliance review committee(s) before initiating any work on those projects.
UNI encourages all faculty, staff, and students involved in research to obtain training in how to maintain the highest standards of research integrity. Most research courses at UNI incorporate various aspects of ethics training in their curricula. In some cases, individuals are required by federal regulations to obtain special training in these areas. For more information, visit Research Ethics Training and Education and IRB Training.
IRB Responsibility Matrix
Please consult the following for staff contacts regarding IRB inquiries:
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IRB (Institutional Review Board) - For questions or other issues regarding the UNI IRB, contact IRB Administrator Lisa Ahern - lisa.ahern@uni.edu.
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Cayuse IRB - Human Ethics Support - For questions regarding use or issues regarding the Cayuse IRB system, please contact rsp@uni.edu.
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IACUC (Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee) - For all questions about animal care on campus and/or the IACUC, please contact IACUC Chair David McClenahan - david.mclenahan@uni.edu.
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RIO (Research Integrity Officer) - To report questionable research practices or incidences of observed or suspected misconduct, please contact the UNI RIO, Interim Assoc VP Research & Innovation/Dean Grad College & Assoc Professor, Gabriela Olivares - gabriela.olivaes@uni.edu.
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Other - For all other questions on any topic not covered above, please contact the Director of RSP Tolif Hunt - tolif.hunt@uni.edu.