Requirements

TTU is rolling out a new requirement for researcher training to educate and update researchers about ethical principles and regulatory requirements for their work with human research participants.  This requirement, which will go into effect January 1, 2023, reflects Texas Tech University's commitment to the protection of the rights and welfare of human research participants and to the researchers who strive to conduct excellent and impactful research.

Responsible conduct of research involving human research participants requires not only compliance with regulations and guidelines developed to support ethical research practices, but also thoughtful consideration of multiple factors that define an acceptable study. These include critical evaluations of our best understanding of previous research, of risks and potential benefits, of alternative methods, and so on. The decision to conduct a study with human participants carries both ethical and regulatory responsibilities to protect the welfare and interests of those participants, to design the study to minimize risks to participants, and to engage in ongoing training for researchers working to protect the interests and welfare of research participants.

Under the new requirement, all research study personnel who engage with participants will need to complete human subject training prior to IRB approval of a research protocol and prior to conducting any human research-related activities.  Human research-related activities include recruitment of participants, consenting of participants, data collection (anonymous or identifiable), gaining access to identifiable data, and/or conducting analysis of identifiable data.  These training requirements will apply to all Principal Investigators, Co-Investigators, and research staff/students.  This includes both individuals within the TTU system and external collaborators.  

The requirement for training goes into effect on January 1, 2023.  The new training requirement will be applied when an existing study is due for renewal, requires modification(s), or is chosen for a post approval monitoring. Flexibility can be granted in certain situations, but it will be expected that everyone is up to date within 1 calendar year.  This training requirement aligns our program with practices in other Tier 1 institutions.  

Effective January 1, 2023, TTU research personnel must complete one of the following trainings every 3 years:

• CITI - TTU Human Subject Research - Required Basic
  • Research team members listed on the IRB submission can view CITI trainings in Cayuse IRB.  Researchers will need to use a TTU email in CITI for this function to work. No additional steps are needed from the researcher.

or

• • Researchers not using a TTU email in CITI will need to attach their CITI – TTU Human Subject Research Certificate in Cayuse IRB under Section 4: Research Team.
• TTU Human Subject Training
  • Researchers will need to attach their Certificate of Completion for Texas Tech University Human Subject Training in Cayuse IRB under Section 4: Research Team.
• External – CITI Human Subject Training
  • TTU IRB will accept another institution's current human subject training through CITI
  •  TTU researchers will need to attach the external collaborator's CITI Certificate in Cayuse IRB under Section 4: Research Team, External Researchers: Co-investigators outside of Texas Tech University. (4-3a(3)b)