If you need to utilize the HIRO's services for an IRB-approved research protocol, the protocol must first be registered in our web system. The HIRO prefers that the protocol's Principal Investigator (PI) perform the online registration process. However, we recognize that there are many situations where this may not be possible. To address these situations, we created the concept of a HIRO Technical Liaison, or TL.
If a PI prefers that a member(s) of their team complete the HIRO protocol registration process and/or have the ability to assign study personnel and access rights, they can designate these individuals as technical liaisons. Technical liaisons are granted the authority to perform study-level actions (i.e., register an IRB protocol with the HIRO, add/remove study personnel, add/remove access to services) for the PI within the HIRO's web system. A single PI can have multiple technical liaisons, and an individual may be the technical liaison for multiple PIs. If a PI has multiple technical liaisons, we ask that all the TLs collaborate with one another to prevent duplicative work such as attempting to register the same protocol multiple times, etc.
To grant an individual technical liaison status, a PI must complete, sign and return a Designation of a HIRO Technical Liaison Form to the HIRO. The designated individuals will be notified via email once they have been granted TL status for the indicated PI. Please note that PIs will still be ultimately responsible for any actions performed by TLs on behalf of their research protocols. If you have any questions about the technical liaison process, please contact the HIRO (hirohelp [at] bsd.uchicago.edu).