Starting Research at BIAC

BIAC Research Project Approval & Scheduling

Scientific Review Committee

In order to manage the usage of BIAC's MRI systems, all research projects conducted at the BIAC must be approved by its Scientific Review Committee. This committee is composed of core BIAC faculty and affiliated investigators.

 
The committee reviews research proposals and awards magnet time on a priority basis according to three criteria:
  • Scientific merit and significance
  • Technical feasibility
  • Funding status

     

Note: Approval for all projects is subject to annual review and renewal.


Committee Meetings

  • Meeting Schedule: The committee generally meets on the first Monday of the month.
  • Proposal Submission: Proposals submitted throughout the month will be reviewed at the next scheduled meeting.

     

Project Setup and Calendar Access

Once your proposal is approved, follow these steps to begin scheduling:
  1. Experiment Code Assignment: An experiment code (for example, Memory.01) is assigned to your project.
  2. Database Registration: The new experiment is entered into BIAC's scheduling database.
  3. Calendar Access: Once recorded in the database, you can use the BIAC Web-based calendar to schedule scanner time.

Using REDCap for Duke BIAC Study Approvals and Renewals

REDCap will replace the Proposal and Renewal templates used previously. All study information and requested documents will be provided/uploaded through REDCap surveys.

For New Study Proposals:

  1. To submit your new study proposal, click on the REDCap link provided below:
    1. https://redcap.duke.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=D9CKKXALHKKWADCL
BIAC Study Proposal Survey QR Code
  1. Please be sure to have the following information or documents ready before accessing the survey: 
    1. General study information (Study Title, Investigators, etc.)
      1. Hours needed at scanners and test rooms
      2. Study needs at the scanner
      3. IRB approval
      4. Study summary and IRB approved consent
  2. If you need to save the survey and return, please be sure to save the return code provided. 
  3. If you have any questions or issues with the survey, please contact research@biac.duke.edu

For Annual Study Renewals: 

  1. 45 days before your study is set to expire, you will receive an email on how to renew your study. This email will contain a unique REDCap survey link, please do not share this link or use it for other studies.
    1. Renewal emails will be sent every 7 days until the REDCap renewal survey is completed
  2. When you are ready to complete your renewal, click on the provided survey link.
    1. Please be sure to have the following information or documents ready:
      1. General study information (Study Title, Investigators, etc.)
      2. Hours needed at scanners and test rooms
      3. Study needs at the scanner
      4. IRB approval
      5. Study summary and any new consent forms (if applicable)
    2. All calendar entries (time booked at the scanners and in the test rooms) must be completed before a study can be renewed. 
      1. For more information on completing calendar entries: https://wiki.biac.duke.edu/_media/biac:calendar_entries_tutorial.pdf
  3. If necessary, you can save the survey and return using the link provided in the renewal email. DO NOT start a new survey; please return to the existing survey to complete it. 
  4. If you have any questions or issues with the survey, please contact research@biac.duke.edu

For Expired/Expiring Studies: 

  1. If your study recently expired and you want to renew, please complete the renewal survey using the link provided in the email.
  2. If you do not need to renew your study, please email research@biac.duke.edu to inform the committee of the date of your study completion.

Helpful Definitions:

  • Responsible Investigator – person who holds the funding for the research.
  • Other Investigator – individual involved in the oversight of scanner usage and/or billing. This individual will also receive a copy of the scanner invoice.
  • Experimenter – primary person(s) present during scanning; may be running the experiment or just accompanying the subject. This can be none if no one besides the MR tech will be there.
  • Scheduler – person(s) with the ability to schedule scanner time; schedulers do not have data access.
  • Data Access – person(s) with the level of access can access the data, but are unable to schedule scanner time.

Additional Information and Resources:

For additional information, please see the BIAC policy for submission and review of protocols that utilize the BIAC scanners SOP109: Approval for BIAC Scanner Use.

Related Standards Operating Procedures (SOPs)

All SOPs can be views here: https://www.biac.duke.edu/research/standard-operating-procedures