The Office for Research Ethics and Compliance (OREC) supports ethical research and innovation at The University of Alabama by fostering the responsible conduct of research and ensuring research compliance.
OREC provides expertise in the regulatory requirements to conduct research to help investigators navigate the changing and complex regulatory landscape.
Programs & Committees
The Office for Research Ethics and Compliance is comprised of essential administrative programs that support for research oversight committees. The goal of these programs and committees is to enhance compliance, integrity, and safety of the research being conducted throughout The University of Alabama. With these areas of support, researchers can focus more on their research activities while maintaining compliance.
| Program | Committee |
|---|---|
| Animal Care and Use Program The Animal Care and Use program (ACUP) is the administrative office that supports the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). | Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee ensures humane care for and the well-being of animals used in research and teaching at the university. As per federal law, the committee has the authority to approve, disapprove, or require modifications to be made to protocols to ensure regulatory compliance. |
| Biological Safety Program The Biological Safety Program (BSP) is the administrative office that supports the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). | Institutional Biosafety Committee The Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBC) provides oversight of research that involves the use of biohazardous agents, including recombinant and/or synthetic nucleic acid molecules. The committee is charged with planning and implementation of the campus Biosafety Program with a purpose to ensure the health and safety of all personnel working with biohazardous agents. |
| Human Research Protection Program The Human Research Protections program (HRPP) is designed to support researchers in meeting their ethical and regulatory responsibilities to human research participants. The HRPP is the administrative office that supports the Institutional Review Board. | Institutional Review Board The Institutional Review Board protects research participants and reviews proposed research before it is implemented to ensure that it is scientifically valid, risks to participants are minimized, and that risks are reasonably relative to the expected benefits of the research. |
| Research Integrity and Conflict of Interest Program The Research Integrity and Conflict of Interest Program (RICIP) works with the Conflict of Interest Committee to assess and implement management strategies for investigator financial conflicts of interest. The program also assures that faculty, researchers, trainees, and staff are aware of our expectations for the responsible conduct of research. | Conflict of Interest Committee The Conflict of Interest Committee is a standing committee of the university that makes recommendations to the program director regarding how financial conflicts of interest should be managed to ensure that sponsored research will be objective and free from bias to the extent possible. |
Contact
Please contact us by phone at (205) 348-8461 or by email at rscompliance@ua.edu if you have any questions or comments.
Toll-free number: 1-877-820-3066
Office for Research Ethics & Compliance
Box 870127
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487You may also submit comments using our online feedback form.