New Mexico Tech's Institutional Review Board (IRB) is charged with protecting the
rights and welfare of human research participants recruited to participate in research
activities conducted at New Mexico Tech. The members who serve on the IRB are scientists
and staff members from Tech, as well as non-affiliated members of the Socorro community.
Most of the human subjects research projects at NMT are eligible for either administrative
or expedited review. The IRB meets as needed to review any projects that require full-board
approval. All on-going research projects that involve human subjects are reviewed
yearly, depending upon the level of risk.
Violating the requirements of Title 45 – Public Welfare Part 46 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (45 CFR 46) can lead to serious consequences. Penalties may include written
warnings, reprimands, fines, and sanctions against the institution or researchers
involved. In some cases, federal funding for all sponsored projects may be withdrawn.
Studies that fall under any exempt category as outlined in 45 CFR 46.104(d) may be eligible for an exempt review. However, exemptions cannot be granted for research
involving prisoners or for research with children that includes:
Surveys,
Interviews, or
Observation of public behavior—unless the observation involves public behavior in
which the investigator does not participate.
If the IRB determines the study is not exempt, it will require either expedited or
full board review. Although certain research activities involving human subjects are
exempt from 45 CFR 46 regulations, they must still be submitted to the IRB for review
and approval.
IRB Application Form Instructions: Fill out this SmartSheet Form to request an IRB review of your research project.
All supporting documentation must be attached to application before it is considered
complete. Should you need to submit more information please email it directly to irb@nmt.edu
IRB Signature Form - Collect all relevant signatures (Faculty Advisor Assurance if applicable) and include this signed PDF document along with the IRB application documentation.
Informed Consent - MUST always be sought from the participants in your research project. The informed consent requirements found in HHS 45 CFR 46 Regulation for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research provide a bedrock protection
for individuals participating in research studies.
Students involved in HSR Research (inside & outside the classroom) at NM Tech must complete their CITI training in order to participate. This is to ensure a strong understanding of responsible and ethical research practices
and project design. These training modules should only be taken once every 4 years. Students should complete the following training:
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Curriculum
NMT Student/Postdocs
Human Subject Research Curriculum
NMT Student/Postdocs
IRB Procedures
Revised May 2024
The Primary Investigator (PI) of a proposed research project must complete these steps
Check with your funding agency (NIH, NSF, etc.) on their timing requirements for IRB
approval.
Complete the Human Subject Research CITI Program training course if you have not already.
(You will find registration instructions & training details on Responsible Conduct
of Research here)
Fill out the IRB Application Form to the best of your ability. Make sure that you
attach all documents related to your project (e.g., surveys or questionnaires, consent
forms, flyers or advertisements used to solicit participants, CITI Program training
certificate, etc.).
Submit all questions to the IRB Administrator irb@nmt.edu.
Upon receiving your Application Form and attachments, the IRB Administrator will perform
an initial review of your project to determine what level of IRB review is appropriate.
HRS Projects requiring a full Institutional Review Board
Human Subjects Research Projects requiring a meeting of the full Institutional Review
Board should apply as soon as possible.
The IRB meets once on the first Friday of each month.
You may be asked to provide more information to the Full Board before it decides to
approve or disapprove your project. Please be aware that you cannot start your project until you have the signed Approval
Form from the full IRB.
For classroom or practicum projects
New Mexico Tech's IRB Administrator reviews all Human Subjects Research- including classroom or practicum projects that will not be
published. Please complete the IRB Application Form.
Your project could be eligible for an Administrative Review, which will only take
a short amount of time.
Please be aware that you cannot start your project until you have the signed Approval
Form.
Students involved in research at NM Tech must complete their CITI training in order
to participate. This is to ensure a strong understanding of responsible and ethical research practices
and project design. Students should complete the following training:
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Curriculum
NMT Student/Postdocs
Human Subject Research Curriculum
NMT Student/Postdocs
If your research project will NOT collect any Personally Identifiable Data from your
participants:
Your project could be eligible for Administrative Determination for exemption.
Please be aware that you cannot start your project until you have the signed Approval
Form in hand.
If your research project WILL collect certain types of Personally Identifiable Data
from your participants:
Your project could be eligible for an Expedited Review, which is performed by the IRB Administrator and one other IRB member. This can take
up to three weeks to complete, depending on the availability of board members.
Please be aware that you cannot start your project until you have the signed Approval
Form.
If your project uses special populations (children or minors under age 18) or if you
are collecting very sensitive personal data
Your project may require Full‐Board Review.
This will require a meeting of the full Institutional Review Board, which can take
up 1 month to arrange. You may be asked to provide more information to the Full Board
before it decides to approve or disapprove your project. Please be aware that you cannot start your project until you have the signed Approval
Form from the full IRB.
What is Personally Identifiable Data?
Personally Identifiable Data is defined by federal regulation as the following information:
Name (i.e., names on survey or questionnaires)
Identification Numbers (i.e., Social Security Number, Tech Student ID Number)
Contact Information (i.e., Physical Address, Phone Number, Email Address and/or IP Address) Audiotape
recordings, videotape recordings, or photographic images of participants
Blood, tissues, bodily fluids, or DNA from participants
Sensitive health or medical information (i.e., HIV status; drug/alcohol use; mental/physical disorders; illicit or criminal
behaviors; or other information that could cause harm to the participant if it became
known in their community.
IRB Modification Form
Should you need to modify some part of your original IRB Approved project/research you will need to complete the IRB Modification Form. The following
are reasons why you would need a modification:
Requesting a temporary IRB study expiration date extension
OR
Making changes to the following:
Research personnel
Research procedures used
Informed consent documents
Types of human subjects participating
Types of data collected
IRB Annual Renewal Form
Multi-year projects are initially approved by the IRB for a 12-month period, any research
expected to extend beyond that date must file yearly to renew the IRB approval. The PI is responsible for not allowing their IRB Approval to lapse. It is recommended the renewal application be filed 60 days or 2 months prior to the expiration date.
This Renewal must include:
A list of any changes proposed to the following areas of the original Approved project/research:
Research personnel
Research procedures used
Informed consent documents
Types of human subjects participating
Types of data collected
The IRB also asks that you provide a written explanation for these changes.
An Annual Progress Report
The report should detail your project/research such as your progress/setbacks/breakthroughs/etc.
so the IRB can quickly assess the work and avoid delaying your approval renewal.
IRB Adverse Event Reporting Form
Use this form to report unanticipated events or problems caused by or related to a
human subject's participation in your research project.
Adverse events are extremely unlikely since NMT does not perform clinical research of any kind, but we make this form available as required by federal law.
IRB Modification Form Instructions: Fill out this SmartSheet form to request an IRB Modification Review of your research
project. All supporting documentation must be attached to application before it is
considered complete. Should you need to submit more information please email it directly
to irb@nmt.edu
IRB Annual Renewal Form Instructions: Fill out this SmartSheet form to request an IRB Annual Renewal Review of your research
project. All supporting documentation must be attached to application before it is
considered complete. Should you need to submit more information please email it directly
to irb@nmt.edu
IRB Adverse Event Reporting Form Instructions: Use this SmartSheet form to report unanticipated events or problems caused by or
related to a human subject's participation in your research project.
Adverse events are extremely unlikely since NMT does not perform clinical research of any kind, but we make this form available as required by federal law.
Questions?
NMT's Research Compliance division provides consultation and compliance services to
researchers conducting or considering Human Subjects Research. Please direct questions
or concerns regarding the NMT Human Subjects Research Program toirb@nmt.edu.
Research Compliance Officer and IRB Administrator: Val Thomas - valerie.thomas@nmt.edu or 575-835-5749
