1. Responsible Conduct of Research Training (RCR)

UROP requires all funding recipients to select and complete at least one RCR training, in consultation with their faculty mentor, that is most relevant to their project through the online Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program (free to UHM students, staff and faculty). Follow the guidelines below to complete an RCR training:

1. Log into the CITI Program website. Register through the University of Hawai‘i affiliation to avoid any fees
2. Click on the blue “Add a Course” button
3. Select “Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)” in Question 1
4. In Question 7 that immediately follows Question 1, select and complete at least one of the five available RCR training modules (Biomedical and Biological, Social and Behavioral, Physical Science, Humanities, and Engineers) that is the most relevant to your project. Please do not select “Responsible Conduct of Research for Administrators”
5. After completing the training, you will be issued a completion report from CITI
6. Send the completion report to urop@hawaii.edu as an attachment. Copy the faculty mentor and all group members, if any

2. Safety Training and Checklist

UROP requires all funding recipients and their faculty mentor to select and complete at least one safety checklist most relevant to their project discipline. All checklists require both the funding recipient’s and the faculty mentor’s signature. Once completed, send the checklist to UROP via email as an attachment. Copy the faculty mentor and all group members, if any.

The goal of these checklists is to ensure a safe work environment for the undergraduate student by requiring them to discuss safety with their faculty mentor prior to starting their project.

2.a. General Personnel Safety Checklist

• Who needs to complete a General Personnel Safety Checklist?: All personnel conducting research or creative work in a non-lab or non-field work setting
• Estimated Timeline to Completion: 2 weeks
• Required Training: Not required unless otherwise indicated by the mentor
• Website: none
• Contact: UROP: urop@hawaii.edu
• Document required by UROP at the time of funding: Current (within 1 year) UROP General Personnel Safety Checklist

2.b. Laboratory Safety Checklist

• Who needs to complete a safety checklist?: All personnel conducting research or creative work in a lab setting
• Estimated Timeline to Completion: 1 month
• Required Training: Lab Safety training (at minimum)
• Website:
  • UHM EHSO Lab Safety Training
  • JABSOM EHSO Lab Safety Training (if working in a JABSOM lab)
• Contact:
  • UHM EHSO: kekina@hawaii.edu
  • JABSOM EHSO: ljohns@hawaii.edu
• Document required by UROP at the time of funding: Current (within 1 year) UHM EHSO Lab Safety Checklist or JABSOM EHSO Lab Safety Checklist

2.c. Field Research Safety Plan

• Who needs to complete a Field Research Safety Plan?: All personnel conducting research that involves isolated or remote locations, extreme weather conditions, hazardous terrain, harmful wildlife, or lack of ready access to emergency services; Can expose participants to significant risks to their health, safety or well-being; At locations outside the direct supervisory control of the University
• Estimated Timeline to Completion: 2 weeks
• Website: Field Research Safety Plan
• Required Training: Not required unless otherwise indicated by the mentor
• Contact: UHM EHSO: hansn@hawaii.edu
• Document required by UROP at the time of funding: Current (within 1 year) Field Research Safety Plan

3. Research Compliance & Certification

All funding recipients must consult with their faculty mentor for guidance on research compliance and determine which research compliance the proposed project must meet, if any.

The Office of Research Compliance (ORC) website provides procedures on how funding recipients and their faculty mentor can obtain IRB, IACUC, and IBC approval. The EHSO website provides procedures on the compressed gas (e.g. SCUBA) diving certification.

If you are unable to have your research compliance requirements ready by UROP’s original deadline, please acknowledge the following via email by the deadline indicated in your correspondence with our office:

1. You are aware of your research compliance requirements
2. You (and your group members, if any) are working with your faculty mentor to obtain the necessary research compliance requirements
3. The date you anticipate being able to submit the required documentation
4. You will update UROP on the 5th and 20th of every month via email on the progress on obtaining the research compliance

Satisfaction of the above does NOT constitute substitution for submission of the compliance requirement and will NOT result in the release of your funding. Funding will be scheduled for disbursement when the compliance documents have been turned in.

3.a. Human Studies

If your research involves collecting data from living human beings (human studies), or analyzing identifiable data or specimens from people, you are required to obtain approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) UH Human Studies Program prior to beginning your research. The Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) is an institutional-wide program administered by the UH Human Studies Program (HSP) under the Office of Research Compliance. The HSP works together with the UH research community to ensure the health, welfare, rights, and dignity of people who participate in UH research.

• Who can submit an IRB eProtocol application?: Faculty, with student as a Co-Investigator
• General Timeline: 2+ months. The IRB schedule submission deadlines only pertain to submissions that require review by the full convened board. All other submissions are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. The speed of review depends upon a number of factors, most importantly, the complete and detailed quality of the application and attachments (e.g., consent forms, questionnaires, etc.). In general, but not always, the turnaround time from start of review to final decision is as follows:
  • Exempt: 2-3 weeks
  • Expedited: 3-4 weeks
  • Full-Board: 4-8 weeks

Turnaround time may be longer during busy months (October-November, March-April) when the Human Studies Program receives a higher volume of applications. Also, due to variable IRB member reviewer availability in the Summer months, plan ahead and submit as early as possible. This means earlier than you might imagine.

• Website: Human Studies Program. Also, see a brief step-by-step guideline here.
• Required Training: CITI Training. Must be completed successfully prior to application submission. All Principal Investigators, Co-Investigators, Student Investigators, and Key Personnel must complete the training. Key Personnel include those who will interact with participants for the research project or who will work with identifiable participant data or biospecimens. If you are conducting in-person research, please also see HSP Response to COVID-19, as you are required to follow the safety guidelines and forms.
• Contact: uhirb@hawaii.edu (if your inquiry is related to UROP funding, indicate so in the email).
• Document required by UROP at the time of funding: Send a current Notice of Approval for Human Research via email to UROP

For your reference, the below table shows hypothetical situations that require and do not require IRB approval:

3.b. Animal Subjects

If your research involves working with vertebrate animal subjects (mice, rabbit, fish, frog, etc.), you must obtain approval from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The goal of the IACUC is to ensure that all research, testing, and management of vertebrate subjects are done in an ethical and humane manner. The IACUC will review the protocols of the research, conduct inspections, and review the facilities that house the vertebrate animals to ensure that all animal subjects are treated as humanely as possible.

• Who can submit an IACUC protocol: Faculty
• General Timeline: 2+ months (check IACUC schedule)
• Website: Animal Welfare Program
• Required Training: CITI Program Investigators, Staff and Students Basic Course (at minimum). Check with your mentor for protocol-specific training requirements
• Contact: awp@hawaii.edu (if your inquiry is related to UROP funding indicate so in the email)
• Document required by UROP at the time of funding: Send a current (expirations range from 1 to 3 years) animal use protocol certification letter from the Animal Care & Use Committee via email to UROP

For your reference, the below table shows hypothetical situations that may or may not require IACUC protocol:

3.c. Biological Safety

If your research involves working with microorganisms, select agents and toxins, blood specimens, contagious or infectious agents, blood borne pathogens, or recombinant genetic materials, you must acquire approval from the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) prior to research. The goal of the IBC is to protect Hawai‘i’s natural environment from exposure to dangerous agents and to ensure that recombinant synthetic nucleic acid molecules are handled safely in research laboratories.

• Who can submit an IBC registration: Faculty
• General Timeline: 2+ months (check IBC schedule)
• Website: Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)
• Required Training: UH Biosafety and UH Bloodborne Pathogens (at minimum)
• Contact: uhibc@hawaii.edu (if your inquiry is related to UROP funding indicate so in the email)
• Document required by UROP at the time of funding: Send a current (within 3 years) IBC registration approval letter via email to UROP

3.d. Diving

If your research involves compressed gas diving (e.g. SCUBA, rebreathers, hookah, surface supplied, etc.), you must acquire certification from the Diving Safety Program prior to performing any dives. The Diving Safety Program is responsible for the authorization of UH scientific divers, evaluation and approval of dive plans, training and program support for UH-authorized divers, coordination of diver medical exam scheduling, and investigation of SCUBA diving accidents.

If you are conducting snorkeling, skin diving or other breath hold diving, please review the Field Research Safety Manual and contact your department for compliance requirements.

• Who can submit an Application for Student Scientific Diving Proposal Approval: Student with UH faculty sponsor
• General Timeline: 1+ year
• Website: UH Diving Safety Program
• Required Training: Forms and Information for Current UH Scientific Divers and Divers-in-Training (at minimum)
• Contact: uhdsp@hawaii.edu
• Document required by UROP at the time of funding: Send a current Verification of Scientific Diver Training and Qualification via email to UROP