The office of Research Compliance and Biosafety (RCB) is responsible for providing training and support to faculty, students, and staff in regulatory requirements for research. RCB provides administrative and operational support for Texas A&M’s research compliance review committees as well as other research compliance programs designated at the university.
Projects may require approval through RCB committees if they involve:
- Human Subjects: Institutional Review Board (IRB)
- Vertebrate Animals: Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
- Biohazards: Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)
Note: Please be aware that projects involving social media and/or online content may be subject to review by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Students and faculty advisors should have a conversation very early on in the design of their URS projects to determine whether or not the project may require approval from any of the three research compliance committees.
Beginning in 2020-2021, students in the URS thesis program are required to submit the Research Compliance Acknowledgement page as part of their application and the Research Compliance Certification page as part of their final theses. Faculty advisors are required to review and approve all aspects of URS applications and final theses, including the student’s Research Compliance Acknowledgement page in the application and Research Compliance Certification page in the final thesis.
Note to Students: You must discuss any changes to the direction of your URS project immediately with your faculty advisor to determine if you need to seek research compliance approval and/or training. Remember that you are not allowed to collect data and may not be able to continue work on your URS project until you have received research compliance approval.