IRB Review Fees
NEW: Notice of Increase for FY26-27
Current Fees as of July 2023:
Industry-Sponsored Projects
The University charges industry sponsors for initial and continuing review of certain projects. IRB review fees apply to all clinical research involving human subjects (including chart review studies) that are funded in whole or in part by industry sponsors.
- Initial Review | $2700 Review Fee + Prevailing F&A
- Annual/Continuing Review | $1200 Review Fee + Prevailing F&A
Note: There is no charge for modifications, adverse event reports, or violation/incident reports submitted to the IRB for review and processing.
Commercial IRBs
If UCSD defers review to a commercial IRB (i.e. Advarra or WIRB), there is a one-time fee for local administrative review and oversight. This applies only to studies that are funded in whole or in part by industry sponsors.
This local one-time fee is in addition to the commercial IRB's regular review fees and should be included in the study budget. The sponsor typically pays the commercial IRB directly for services.
- Local Review & Oversite Fee | $1200 Review Fee + Prevailing F&A
Single IRB (sIRB) Services
When the UCSD IRB serves as the sIRB for for sites other than UCSD or RCHSD, there is a one-time fee per site to cover UCSD IRB's review of the outside investigator and local context information. This fee applies to studies funded by any funding mechanism.
- sIRB Review Fee | $615 Review Fee + Prevailing F&A
Frequently Asked Questions about IRB Review Fees
Q: My study is receiving funds from industry, but the protocol is PI-initiated. Why am I being billed for IRB review?
A: Authorship of the protocol is not a determining factor for billing. Only the source of funding is considered, and those studies with any industry funding are subject to initial and continuing review fees.
Q: My study is receiving in-kind support from industry (e.g., manufacturer is providing drug supply). Will I be billed for IRB review?
A: No, IRB review fees are only applicable when the industry support is actual funding (money).
Q: UCSD is the sIRB for my study. I received a bill for a relying site fee, but my study is federally funded and I can’t use the grant funds to pay fees. Is this bill wrong?
A: No, you will need to use unrestricted funds, such as discretionary funds, to pay the fee. Please note that these are billed after the amendment to add the relying site(s) is approved, and the fee is per site rather than per amendment (e.g., more than one site can be added in a single amendment).
Q: My application says that I have industry funding, but that is incorrect or has changed to no longer be the case. I don’t think I should have received an IRB review bill, what should I do?
A: First, you should amend your IRB application to indicate the correct funding source. (Any time that there are changes in funding, you should amend your IRB application accordingly.) Second, email irb@ucsd.edu indicating that you received an IRB bill because your IRB application provided incorrect funding information, and confirming that you have corrected the application.
Q: I didn’t have to pay a review fee before, even though my study is funded in part or wholly by industry. Am I “grandfathered” in to not be billed?
A: No, the IRB review fee applies regardless of when the study was started.
Q: My study is subject to an IRB review fee. When will I receive a bill?
A: For initial approvals, fees are billed upon conclusion of a six-month waiting period, starting from the month after initial approval (e.g., initial approval granted in May 2025, six months begin with June 2025), to allow teams the time to wrap up agreements, obtain other required approvals, and to set up a study chartstring.
For other submission types subject to an IRB review fee, you will be billed 1-2 months after the following, as applicable:
- For studies with UCSD as IRB of record, after continuing review approval.
- For studies relying on an external commercial IRB, after “acceptance.”
- For amendments to add relying sites, after amendment approval. Please note that the relying site fee is per site, not per amendment.
Q: How do I ask questions about IRB review fees?
A: Please email irb@ucsd.edu.