The Institutional Review Boards Office is responsible for protecting the rights and welfare of human subjects in research conducted by faculty, staff, and students affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The HRPP reviews and monitors research involving human subjects at UW-Madison to ensure the ethical and equitable treatment of research participants.
The Office of Research Compliance (ORC) within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Education oversees a range of HRPP administrative and compliance activities including reliance and navigation, post-approval monitoring, and quality assurance oversight.
RELIANT assists researchers with collaborative and multisite research issues and provides support to researchers in navigating institutional requirements.
The Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) provides oversight for all research activities involving human participants at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The HRPP is a collective effort of all who participate in the conduct, review, approval, and facilitation of human participants research at UW–Madison. These groups work closely together to ensure the ethical, safe, and legal conduct of human research.
Read more about the HRPP mission.
The HRPP strives to uphold the highest ethical, safety, quality, and regulatory standards in research involving human participants at UW-Madison and its affiliates. The HRPP is also responsible for ensuring compliance with federal regulations, state laws, and institutional policies.
The HRPP:
- promotes the welfare and rights of human research participants
- facilitates excellence in human research, and
- provides education, timely review, and comprehensive monitoring for human research projects.
To safeguard the rights and welfare of human research subjects, UW-Madison adheres to the principles of The Belmont Report, as described here.
As part of the HRPP, the Institutional Review Boards Office is home to two IRBs on campus. These IRBs review all human subject research protocols in accordance with applicable federal regulations, state laws, and local and university policies.
- The Health Sciences IRB: Reviews research protocols involving medical interventions or procedures where medical expertise is required for evaluation.
- The Minimal Risk Research IRB: Reviews research protocols that present minimal risk to subjects, including medical interventions or procedures requiring medical expertise or knowledge of the health care setting and human participants research occurring within the social and behavioral sciences.
News
Not Research/Not Human Subjects Research Tool
October 20, 2026
If you have a project that you believe does not meet the definition of “research” or does not include “human subjects”, you can use the Not Research/Not Human Subjects Research Self-Certification Tool.
Read moreA Note of Caution: Using AI in Preparing IRB Materials
October 20, 2026
All AI-generated content must be carefully reviewed by the research team before submission. This news describes several aspects to consider.
Read morePayments to Research Participants
October 20, 2026
Depending on the dollar amount, personal information may need to be collected from participants for tax purposes. Participants should be informed of this requirement.
Read moreSpecial Topics
Reliance & Navigation
The Reliance and Navigation Team (RELIANT) assists researchers with collaborative and multisite research issues and provides support to researchers in navigating institutional requirements.
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Toolkit Manuals
To supplement the Toolkit documents, the Investigator and Reliance Manuals are designed to guide you through policies and procedures related to the conduct of Human Research.
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Information for IRB Members
Resources to support IRB members in their reviews of research protocols.
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IRB Meeting Dates
Meeting dates for the Health Sciences and Minimal Risk Research IRB panels.
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Is It Research?
The IRB provides tools to help determine whether a project or registry constitute research or whether they are quality improvement or program evaluation.
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Interested in Becoming an IRB Member?
We are looking for individuals interested in partnering with UW to protect the rights and welfare of our research participants by serving as an IRB member.
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