Research Governance > Integrated Research Application System (IRAS)

It is widely recognised that applying for approval or permission to conduct a piece of Health & Social Care (HSC) research can involve grappling with a bewildering array of forms, many of which require the same information. A UKCRC initiative to bring together the information requirements for these permissions and approvals into a single, integrated application system resulted in the launch of a new Integrated Research Approvals System (IRAS) in January 2008.

The System is built on the concept that researchers enter the details of their study into one system which can then generate application forms for a variety of organisations to secure relevant permissions and approvals.

The consultation-in-use process resulted in a series of changes and Version 2 of IRAS was issued in July 2008. IRAS Version 2 generates the following applications:

• Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee (ARSAC)
• Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (GTAC)
• HSC/NHS research offices
• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
• Ministry of Justice (National Offender Management Service)
• NRES/NHS/HSC Research Ethics Committees
• Patient Information Advisory Group (PIAG)

IRAS is an online system which is accessed at www.myresearchproject.org.uk. Links are also available from the HSC R&D Office website and HSC Trust intranet sites. An IRAS Brochure provides a more detailed explanation of the IRAS concept.

In our 29 January 2008 email the HSC R&D Office highlighted the need to assess how Northern Ireland could best consolidate previous work to use common regional systems with processes underpinned by common research management software and support a migration to IRAS. That assessment is now complete and the HSC R&D Office and the research offices in the five HSC Trusts endorse the use of IRAS by the HSC R&D community.

Work is underway to incorporate some additional HSC functionality in IRAS, specifically project outline and resource assessment forms, organised under a HSC filter option. Until this functionality is available, HSC researchers are encouraged to use IRAS in the current format as a means of reducing the effort required in securing approvals and permissions. The forms generated by the IRAS will be accepted by all HSC Trust research offices. The IRAS electronic file should be emailed to the relevant HSC Trust. In due course this data transfer will also become an integrated IRAS facility as part of the specific HSC Trust functionality.