Accreditation: Why Accreditation Matters - Eligibility

Who is Eligible for Accreditation?

AAHRPP intends to accredit any eligible Organization that seeks accreditation. Most organizations that conduct human research are also involved in other activities that are not directly related to their research activities: universities are involved in teaching and service, hospitals are involved in patient care and community outreach, companies are involved in marketing and distribution activities. AAHRPP accredits only an Organization’s Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) (see the definition of an accreditable organization below).

The Organization seeking accreditation must be functionally separate and have a single director. Its HRPP may be comprised of either units within the Organization, external arrangements that make up the program, or both. For example, some organizations arrange for functionally separate units to fulfill critical roles in their research protection programs, such as a contractual arrangement for ethics review (IRB review) by another independent organization. Organizations may also share resources to form a single comprehensive HRPP. AAHRPP’s policy is to accredit whole programs and not individual components of HRPPs (e.g., IRBs or researchers). AAHRPP’s policy is not to accredit subunits within a functionally separate unit.