Research Integrity and Compliance

In partnership with the Saint Louis University research community, the SLU Research Integrity and Compliance Program is committed to ensuring the ethical and compliant conduct of research at or under the auspices of SLU. 

The SLU Research Integrity and Compliance Program also ensures adherence to applicable federal and state laws/regulations, institutional policies, and national/international standards.

The SLU Research Integrity and Compliance program is available for ethical and regulatory consultation and general inquiries. Complete and submit this Research Integrity and Compliance Inquiry Form to request a consultation or submit an inquiry.

P.I. Research Project Toolkit

Navigating the intricacies of safety and compliance regulations and institutional policies and procedures can be time-consuming. The "P.I. Research Project Toolkit" is a repository of tools to untangle those complexities, making it easier to achieve research project planning objectives as efficiently as possible and to start the research project.

This site will be updated with new tools and resources. Check regularly for updates.

Areas of Oversight

Human Research Protections Program

SLU maintains a dedicated Human Research Protections Program (HRPP) to protect human subjects participating in research. Central to the HRPP are the SLU Institutional Review Boards (IRB). An IRB is an ethics committee composed of scientists and non-scientists who advocate for human subjects in research. 

SLU has three IRBs, two that meet routinely and one that meets on an ad hoc basis. They review all research involving human subjects for compliance with federally mandated research guidelines. 

For more information, please click on the IRB tab on the left side of the page or contact the SLU IRB at irb@slu.edu. 

Animal Care and Use Program

SLU maintains an Animal Care and Use Program to oversee the responsible and ethical use of animals for research purposes. The Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) accredits the SLU Animal Care and Use Program.

Central to the protection and responsible use of laboratory animals at SLU is the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), a committee comprising faculty, animal welfare experts and community members.  

For more information, please click on the IACUC tab on the left side of the page or contact the IACUC at iacuc@slu.edu. 

Environmental Health and Safety, Biosafety, Radiation Safety

The SLU Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) service oversees policies and best practices for managing environmental, health, and safety issues and laboratory-based research for the SLU research community.

EHS ensures compliance with complex regulations and assures the health and safety of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. EHS provides resources on basic fire and life safety, general workplace safety, biological safety, chemicals safety, radiation safety, and hazardous materials removal and disposal. 

For more information, please click on the corresponding tab on the left-hand side of the page.

Individual Outside Interests

SLU is committed to the responsible and ethical conduct of research. As such, SLU maintains an Individual Outside Interests Policy and Committee to promote objectivity and to eliminate any potential perception of bias in the conduct of research.

This policy is available via PolicyStat and applies to all investigators and research personnel responsible for the design, conduct, or reporting of externally sponsored research. The Individual Outside Interests Committee (IOIC) determines whether a researcher’s outside interest could directly or indirectly impact the design, conduct or reporting of the investigator’s research. If such a conflict exists, the IOIC will cooperate with the investigator to develop and implement an appropriate management plan.

For more information, please click on the Conflict of Interest in Research tab on the left-hand side of the page or contact the Individual Outside Interests team at coi@slu.edu.  

Export Controls and Foreign Influence

SLU is responsible for complying with the Department of Commerce and Department of State when research technologies or innovations are of interest to national security, foreign policy and economics. U.S. regulations regarding export controls can greatly impact research and the potential for collaborations. Visit the SLU Office of University Compliance and Ethics website to learn more.

While SLU strongly supports international collaboration and values its partnerships with universities and other organizations worldwide, it is important that all members of the research community understand the current regulatory and enforcement landscape.

Foreign governments’ active recruitment of scholars into “foreign talent (recruitment) programs” and their attempts to influence nationals of their country (and supported nationals of other countries) to misappropriate federally funded research results and intellectual property from U.S. institutions of higher education are of particular concern. These efforts threaten the integrity of university research by undermining the foundational principles and values upon which it's based.

SLU believes that the disclosure of such attempts or relationships is a critical step in the research integrity process.

For more information, contact Michael Reeves in the University Compliance Office at michael.reeves@slu.edu or the OVPR Office of Research Integrity & Compliance at oric@health.slu.edu.

Responsible Conduct of Research

SLU is committed to a culture and expectation of responsible and ethical conduct of research. This is a critical component in the advancement of knowledge through research and scholarship and is central to our goal of maintaining public trust in the research enterprise. Given that ethical issues emerge when conducting research and scholarship across disciplines of all kinds, SLU is committed to providing high-quality instruction in the responsible conduct of research to the entire campus community.

As such, the SLU Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) program is designed to provide a flexible means of fulfilling training requirements set forth by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

For more information, please click on the RCR tab on the left-hand side of the page.

Occupational Health Program

The SLU Occupational Health Program seeks to ensure the health and safety of university employees, students, and support staff. Program staff provide information and support to persons working in the research environment, including animal care and use and biosafety-related research. The goals of the program are to prevent injury or disease from hazards in the workplace.

For more information, please click on the Occupational Health Program tab on the left-hand side of the page.