Developmental Approval

Approval before Project?

Sometimes a granting agency (e.g., the National Science Foundation - NSF) will require HRPP/IRB approval as part of your grant application. But you might be seeking the grant to develop your research protocol, and the HRPP/IRB cannot provide approval for a protocol that does not yet exist!

To resolve this chicken/egg scenario, the HRPP can instead offer "developmental approval," which granting agencies typically accept. In this case, the HRPP issues a letter that you and we sign, stating essentially: You're requesting funding to include project development activities; the HRPP is aware of your general research goals, and you agree to submit a formal protocol application and receive written HRPP approval before engaging in any activities involving human participants, including recruitment.

To request Developmental Approval, email the HRPP with the following information (even though these details might change when you submit your formal application down the line):

• Working Project Title
• Anticipated population ~ nature and number (e.g., 18 high school instructors, 2500 survey respondents crowdsourced from MTurk)
• Anticipated activities (e.g. interviews, online survey, focus groups)
• Approximate timeline ~ ideally, when do you hope to start human participant activities, and when might you complete the project?

We realize grant deadlines can arise quickly and demand immediate attention, so we will do our best to accommodate those unique situations. But if possible, please submit your request as early as possible before you need to provide the Developmental Approval letter. Email us with any questions.