IRB Review Fees

The Human Research Protections (HRP) unit in the Office of Research Administration will charge Institutional Review Board (IRB) fees for new clinical research submissions that are partially or fully supported by industry sponsors, including chart review studies.

The one-time IRB review fee is charged to the funding source after IRB approval, once the contract is fully executed. IRB fees are not charged when federal, state or foundation dollars are used, and UCI is the IRB of record. When a commercial IRB is used however, along with federal funds, IRB fees are charged as the IRB is considered a vendor under the terms of the award.

Research Teams should account for the UCI IRB fee in their research protocol budgets.

The IRB review fee is to support the administrative costs of the protocol review process. If UCI defers review to an independent IRB (e.g., WCG, Advarra), the IRB review fee will also apply.

The IRB fee increased on July 1, 2025 to $2,940 and will remain unchanged for 2026.

IRB fees are evaluated annually and may be adjusted up or down in future fiscal years based on program expenses.

Memo to Sponsors: IRB Review Fee (2026)

Current IRB review fee information for industry-sponsored studies.

View the Memo

Points to Remember:

  • There is no IRB fee for renewals.

  • There is no IRB fee for amendments.

  • There is no IRB fee for reportable events.

If you have questions, contact Beverley Alberola, Senior Director of Human Research Protections, at 949-824-5746 or beverley.alberola@uci.edu.