The goals of the current proposal are multi-fold. First, at the local University level we seek to ensure a speedier and more efficient transition from our current, paper-burdened IRB administrative/management system to our new IRBWise web-based program purchased with prior HSREP funds. This will be accomplished through acquisition of a high speed scanner, remote computers for investigator use across the campus, continuation of our consultant for an additional year, and hiring of a temporary scanning clerk. Our continuing educational program in human subject protections will be strongly augmented with the purchase of videoconferencing equipment. Remote set-ups across the campus (and across the State, at other SUNY campuses) will enable us to develop a pro-active educational outreach program whereby regularly scheduled workshops, and general question and answer sessions can be arranged with minimal inconvenience to interested faculty and students. Finally, SBU and sister institutions SUNY Buffalo and SUNY Downstate, are proposing each to budget 1/3 of their respective awards (if awarded) to the Central Office of SUNY Research Foundation on behalf of the other University Centers and comprehensive colleges in the SUNY system who did not qualify for HSREP funds. The SUNY system strives to succeed in not only reaching a solid level of compliance, but also to implement proactively innovative programs pertaining to human subject protections. An example of the latter is the SUNY-OHRP QA Partnership, the first of its kind in the country. It is through the efforts of the nationally recognized SUNY Human Research Forum that SUNY has attained these achievements. State budgetary constraints have been great in the last few years, and the impact has particularly hit hard at the smaller campuses. Funds for, e.g., meeting travel, purchase of educational web-based programs that are too costly for the smaller colleges, workshops etc. would allow all campuses conducting human subjects research to participate in promulgation of policy, and continuing education efforts.
