{"id":644,"date":"2025-12-15T08:56:53","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T08:56:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/irb\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T10:29:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T10:29:19","slug":"irb","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/irb\/","title":{"rendered":"GCAS Institutional Review Board (IRB)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n
\n

Please note:<\/strong> The IRB application portal is closed during the summer and will reopen at the beginning of September.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n

Institutional Review Board (IRB)<\/h1>\n

Ethical oversight of research at GCAS College Dublin<\/p>\n\n

The GCAS Institutional Review Board exists to safeguard the rights, dignity, and welfare of human participants in research conducted under the auspices of GCAS. All research involving human subjects \u2014 including interviews, surveys, ethnographic fieldwork, clinical case studies, and any other engagement with living persons as sources of data \u2014 must be reviewed and approved by the IRB before data collection begins.<\/p>\n\n

This requirement applies to all GCAS researchers: PhD and MA candidates, faculty, visiting researchers, and any external scholars conducting research that names GCAS as their institutional affiliation.<\/p>\n\n

What the IRB reviews<\/h2>\n\n

The IRB evaluates proposed research against international standards for ethical conduct, drawing on the Belmont Report’s principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice, and on the Declaration of Helsinki where applicable. Reviewers examine the methodology, the procedures for informed consent, the management of confidentiality and data protection (including GDPR compliance), the handling of vulnerable populations, and the broader ethical implications of the research design.<\/p>\n\n

The IRB does not exist to obstruct research; it exists to make research more rigorous, more humane, and more defensible \u2014 both ethically and legally \u2014 once it enters the world.<\/p>\n\n

Two review tracks<\/h2>\n\n

Standard review<\/strong> is required for research involving any of the following: vulnerable populations (minors, prisoners, persons in dependent relationships with the researcher, persons in clinical or psychiatric care), sensitive personal data, deception, more-than-minimal risk to participants, or any methodology where the potential for harm \u2014 psychological, social, professional, or otherwise \u2014 exceeds what a person would ordinarily encounter in daily life.<\/p>\n\n

Exempt review<\/strong> is available for research that is genuinely minimal-risk: anonymous surveys with no sensitive content, observation in fully public settings, analysis of publicly available data, and similarly low-stakes inquiries. An exempt determination is made by the IRB, not by the researcher; you must still submit an application, but the review process is faster and lighter.<\/p>\n\n

If you are unsure which track applies to your research, submit the standard application. The IRB will redirect you to the exempt track if appropriate.<\/p>\n\n

Application fee<\/h2>\n\n

A \u20ac250 application fee supports the work of the review board, including reviewer honoraria, administrative coordination, and the institutional infrastructure required to maintain GCAS’s standing as a credentialed reviewing body. The fee is paid at the point of submission and is non-refundable regardless of the review outcome.<\/p>\n\n

Hardship reductions are available on a case-by-case basis; please contact the IRB Coordinator before submitting if you require one.<\/p>\n\n

How to apply<\/h2>\n\n

To begin an application, please request access to the IRB application form by emailing irb@gcas.ie<\/strong><\/a> with your name, programme of study, supervisor (if applicable), and a one-paragraph description of your proposed research. The IRB Coordinator will respond within three working days with the password-protected application link.<\/p>\n\n

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Standard reviews are typically completed within four to six weeks of submission; exempt reviews are typically completed within two weeks.<\/p>\n\n

\n Request IRB Application Access \u2192<\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n

After approval<\/h2>\n\n

Approved researchers receive a formal approval letter from the IRB, valid for the duration of the research project (typically twelve months, renewable). Significant changes to the approved methodology require an amendment submission. Adverse events, unanticipated harms, or breaches of confidentiality must be reported to the IRB within seven days of discovery.<\/p>\n\n

The IRB also requires a brief end-of-study report at the conclusion of the project, summarizing how the research was conducted and noting any deviations from the approved protocol.<\/p>\n\n

Teagmh\u00e1il<\/h2>\n\n

Questions about IRB review, the application process, or research ethics more broadly may be directed to the IRB Coordinator at irb@gcas.ie<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Please note: The IRB application portal is closed during the summer and will reopen at the beginning of September. Institutional Review Board (IRB) Ethical oversight of research at GCAS College Dublin The GCAS Institutional Review Board exists to safeguard the rights, dignity, and welfare of human participants in research conducted under the auspices of GCAS. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":229715834,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"publish_to_discourse":"","publish_post_category":"","wpdc_auto_publish_overridden":"","wpdc_topic_tags":"","wpdc_pin_topic":"","wpdc_pin_until":"","discourse_post_id":"","discourse_permalink":"","wpdc_publishing_response":"","wpdc_publishing_error":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-644","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nGCAS Institutional Review Board (IRB) - The Global Centre for Advanced Studies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn about the GCAS Institutional Review Board for research ethics. Access IRB application forms and review procedures.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/irb\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GCAS Institutional Review Board (IRB)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn about the GCAS Institutional Review Board for research ethics. Access IRB application forms and review procedures.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/irb\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Global Centre for Advanced Studies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/globalcenterforadvancedstudies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-24T10:29:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gcas.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/social-share-website.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/irb\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/irb\\\/\",\"name\":\"GCAS Institutional Review Board (IRB) - The Global Centre for Advanced Studies\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-15T08:56:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-24T10:29:19+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn about the GCAS Institutional Review Board for research ethics. Access IRB application forms and review procedures.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/irb\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"ga\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/irb\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/irb\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"GCAS Institutional Review Board (IRB)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Global Centre for Advanced Studies\",\"description\":\"The World\u2019s First, Global Debt-Free, Accredited College Owned by Faculty and Graduates.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"GCAS College\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"ga\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Global Centre for Advanced Studies\",\"alternateName\":\"GCAS\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ga\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/gcas.ie\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Untitled-design-2.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/gcas.ie\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Untitled-design-2.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"The Global Centre for Advanced Studies\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gcas.ie\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/globalcenterforadvancedstudies\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/gcas.ie\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/school\\\/the-global-center-for-advanced-studies\\\/?viewAsMember=true\"],\"description\":\"GCAS College Dublin is the world's first debt-free, EU-accredited online college, offering cooperatively owned BA, MA, and PhD degrees in philosophy, psychoanalysis, theology, social sciences, law, and natural sciences to students in 80+ countries.\",\"email\":\"contact@gcas.ie\",\"telephone\":\"+353 87 754 1417\",\"legalName\":\"GCAS College Dublin, LTD\",\"foundingDate\":\"2013-08-22\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"11\",\"maxValue\":\"50\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"GCAS Institutional Review Board (IRB) - The Global Centre for Advanced Studies","description":"Learn about the GCAS Institutional Review Board for research ethics. Access IRB application forms and review procedures.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/irb\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"GCAS Institutional Review Board (IRB)","og_description":"Learn about the GCAS Institutional Review Board for research ethics. Access IRB application forms and review procedures.","og_url":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/irb\/","og_site_name":"The Global Centre for Advanced Studies","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/globalcenterforadvancedstudies\/","article_modified_time":"2026-05-24T10:29:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gcas.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/social-share-website.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/irb\/","url":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/irb\/","name":"GCAS Institutional Review Board (IRB) - The Global Centre for Advanced Studies","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-12-15T08:56:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-24T10:29:19+00:00","description":"Learn about the GCAS Institutional Review Board for research ethics. Access IRB application forms and review procedures.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/irb\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"ga","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/gcas.ie\/irb\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/irb\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"GCAS Institutional Review Board (IRB)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/","name":"The Global Centre for Advanced Studies","description":"An ch\u00e9ad chol\u00e1iste creidi\u00fanaithe ar domhan at\u00e1 saor \u00f3 fhiacha agus at\u00e1 faoi \u00fain\u00e9ireacht na d\u00e1imhe agus na gc\u00e9imithe.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/#organization"},"alternateName":"GCAS College","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"ga"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/#organization","name":"The Global Centre for Advanced Studies","alternateName":"GCAS","url":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ga","@id":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gcas.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Untitled-design-2.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gcas.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Untitled-design-2.png?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1","width":1080,"height":1080,"caption":"The Global Centre for Advanced Studies"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/globalcenterforadvancedstudies\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gcas.ie\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/the-global-center-for-advanced-studies\/?viewAsMember=true"],"description":"GCAS College Dublin is the world's first debt-free, EU-accredited online college, offering cooperatively owned BA, MA, and PhD degrees in philosophy, psychoanalysis, theology, social sciences, law, and natural sciences to students in 80+ countries.","email":"contact@gcas.ie","telephone":"+353 87 754 1417","legalName":"GCAS College Dublin, LTD","foundingDate":"2013-08-22","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"11","maxValue":"50"}}]}},"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PesgkL-ao","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3746,"url":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/irb-no-payment\/","url_meta":{"origin":644,"position":0},"title":"IRB No Payment","author":"crestondavis","date":"March 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"GCAS Institutional Review Board (IRB) Application","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":237,"url":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/directory\/","url_meta":{"origin":644,"position":1},"title":"Eolaire","author":"crestondavis","date":"December 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Contact Us Find the right person to help with your question \ud83d\udccb Applying to GCAS? Contact Admissions at admissions@gcas.ie or our Admissions Director Zuzana Garajova at zuzana@gcas.ie \ud83d\udcac Thinking About Joining GCAS? Why not schedule a conversation with one of our PhD Researchers to see if it's the right fit\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1964,"url":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/about-gcas-college-dublin\/","url_meta":{"origin":644,"position":2},"title":"About GCAS College Dublin","author":"crestondavis","date":"December 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The seal of GCAS: \"Out of the Ashes a New Light\" About GCAS College Dublin Our Legal Entity & Corporate Structure The Global Centre for Advanced Studies (originally incorporated in the USA in 2013) is the academic brand of GCAS College Dublin Limited, a company incorporated in Ireland in 2018.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gcas.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GCAS-Phoenix-seal-hires-invese.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gcas.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GCAS-Phoenix-seal-hires-invese.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gcas.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GCAS-Phoenix-seal-hires-invese.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gcas.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GCAS-Phoenix-seal-hires-invese.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gcas.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GCAS-Phoenix-seal-hires-invese.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gcas.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GCAS-Phoenix-seal-hires-invese.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2788,"url":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/become-a-gcas-researcher\/","url_meta":{"origin":644,"position":3},"title":"B\u00ed i do Thaighdeoir GCAS","author":"crestondavis","date":"January 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Become a GCAS Researcher Join a Global Community of Critical Thinkers The Global Center for Advanced Studies invites scholars, intellectuals, and independent researchers to join our worldwide network of critical thinkers. As a GCAS Researcher, you become part of a vibrant academic community dedicated to rigorous inquiry, interdisciplinary collaboration, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":581,"url":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/phd-supervisors\/","url_meta":{"origin":644,"position":4},"title":"Maoirseoir\u00ed PhD GCAS","author":"Creston Davis","date":"December 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"GCAS PhD Supervisors One of the most distinctive features of the GCAS Ph.D. program is the freedom it offers students to design their own research trajectory and methodological approach. Unlike many traditional doctoral programs\u2014where students are often assigned a supervisor and implicitly (if not explicitly) expected to align with that\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1863,"url":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/the-history-of-gcas\/","url_meta":{"origin":644,"position":5},"title":"Stair GCAS","author":"crestondavis","date":"December 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A Brief History of the Global Centre for Advanced Studies Toward a New Mode of Knowledge Production A History of the Global Centre for Advanced Studies I. Origins: A Crisis of the Academy The Global Centre for Advanced Studies was born from a profound disillusionment with the structural realities of\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/229715834"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=644"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4341,"href":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/644\/revisions\/4341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcas.ie\/ga\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}