A new submission process to speed review of exempt IRB applications, including:

• Applicants can submit their applications electronically
  
• Revised e-mail correspondence to improve clarity and guidance
  
• An e-mail reply option is now available for renewal of exemptions unchanged from original submission

A new Medical Record Chart Review (MRCR) application for researchers planning to use medical record chart review methodologies only

A new IRB affiliation agreement for research conducted exclusively at one of the University's primary affiliates. Now, a single IRB submission is acceptable to the Veterans Affairs Hospital, Hennepin County Medical Center, and Regions/Health Partners Hospital.

A revision of the IRB Web site providing transparency to researchers by including avenues for researchers disagreeing with committee decisions, a roster of IRB Committee members, and IRB staff pictures and phone numbers. Additionally, the IRB has created a Web site improvement task force to work on more improvements.