Terminating your institution's participation

Applies to: Agreement V3.0 (§7.2.1.2) · SMART IRB SOPs

A Participating Institution may end its participation in the Agreement at any time, without cause. What it must do depends on whether it has ongoing Covered Activities.

No ongoing arrangements. Send written notice to help@smartirb.org. Participation ends once SMART IRB's systems and records are updated.

Ongoing arrangements (as Reviewing IRB or Relying Institution).

• Give at least 60 business days' prior written notice to every Participating Institution with which you are involved in an ongoing Covered Activity (§7.2.1.2). (Earlier versions required 30 days; Version 3.0 lengthened the notice period.)
• Send written notice to help@smartirb.org so SMART IRB can update the Reliance System and the Participating Institutions page.
• Work with the affected institutions to determine the effect on each ongoing study, with the goals of protecting participants and limiting disruption. Where possible and appropriate, a departing Reviewing IRB continues oversight for the reasonable time needed to transfer the research to another IRB or another reliance agreement (§7.2.1.4).

Leaving the Indemnification Addendum only is a separate step: 60 business days' notice to involved institutions if you have ongoing Covered Activities (§7.2.2.2). It does not affect participation in the Agreement. Leaving the Agreement automatically ends participation in the Addendum (§7.2.2.3).

One institution's departure does not affect the Agreement's validity for everyone else; the Agreement as a whole can end only by agreement of all Participating Institutions (§7.2.1.1).

See also

• What survives termination
• Automatic termination and the grace period
• Ending a reliance arrangement for a study