The University of Iowa
Human Subjects Office

Delegates in HawkIRB

  1. Who may be listed as the Principal Investigator on a research project?
  2. As a Principal Investigator, how do I assign someone as my delegate to submit applications in HawkIRB for me?
  3. How do I submit an application in HawkIRB as a delegate for a PI?
  4. I am almost finished with my HawkIRB application, but I should not be listed as the PI.  How can I change that?

1.  Who may be listed as the Principal Investigator on a research project?

Any individual who is staff or faculty at UI or UIHC may be listed as the Principal Investigator of a research project, with one exception. Faculty who maintain an Adjunct position with the University of Iowa may not be listed as the PI on any project. The Principal Investigator is ultimately responsible for the conduct of the research project, and is required to be on campus to oversee the research. Adjunct status could imply that the individual is not on-site regularly. Adjunct faculty may, however, be listed as a research team member. Students may be listed as the PI on a project, but all students, including residents and fellows, are required to have the oversight of a Faculty Advisor.

2.  As a Principal Investiga​tor, how do I assign someone as my delegate to submit applications in HawkIRB for me?

Principal Investigators can name delegates to act on his/her behalf in HawkIRB.  They may grant or restrict access on a project by project basis.  Once named, the delegate may enter,edit, and submit forms for the PI, including all types of application forms and the Serious and/or Unexpected Adverse Experience Form.  However, the Principal Investigator remains responsible for the completeness and accuracy of all submitted forms.  If a PI wishes to name a delegate, the IRB encourages the PI to establish documented procedures within his/her research group for reviewing and approving forms prior to their submission. 

In order to grant or restrict access on a project by project basis, Investigators will need to manually update their profile and make their permission designations in HawkIRB. If the functionality is not turned on, all previously named delegates will continue to have access to all of the Principal Investigator’s projects.  Once the functionality has been turned on, the Principal Investigator can then designate permissions for delegates on a project by project basis. 

All new and existing projects will be viewable to all delegates until you have restricted their permission on the User Delegates screen.  To restrict a delegate’s access to a draft project, question I.1 must be answered in the application.  If question I.1 is not answered, the project will not show up in the User Delegates screen where permission is granted or restricted. 

  • Log into HawkIRB.
  • Click on Personalize at the top of the page, then Update my delegates.
  • Enter the hawkID of the delegate, then click Add Delegate.  If you don't know the hawkID, click on Campus Directory to look it up.
  • The delegate will now be listed in the box titled User Delegates.
Delegates should log in to HawkIRB with their own HawkID and password and then log in as a delegate (link available in the upper right corner of the screen).  
 
Investigators should update delegates in the HawkIRB system to remove an individual who is no longer serving as a delegate because he/she changed positions or no longer works at the University of Iowa. 

3.  How do I submit an application in HawkIRB as a delegate for a PI?

  • The PI must first name you as a delegate, following the instructions above.
  • Log into HawkIRB.
  • Click on delegate login in the upper right corner OR click on Personalize at the top of the page, then Login as a Delegate.
  • The name of the PI for whom you are a delegate will be listed; click on login at the far right of the PI's name.
  • In the upper right corner of HawkIRB, you should see {delegate's name} as {PI's name}.  You are now acting as the PI and can submit applications for him/her, or respond to workflow questions.

4.  I am almost finished with my HawkIRB application, but I should not be listed as the PI.  How can I change that?

There is not a simple way to change this.  HawkIRB recognizes the person who creates the New Project application as the PI.  If someone other than the desired PI created the new project, there is not a mechanism to switch to a different PI prior to IRB approval of the application.  A New Project application must be started from the inbox of the desired PI.   The instructions below describe the process of using content from a draft application with the wrong PI for a New Project application with the desired PI:

  • You may only prepare a HawkIRB application for someone else if he/she names you as a delegate.
  • Once you have been given delegate access, open two internet browser windows and log into HawkIRB in both.  In one window, log in as the delegate for the PI (click on delegate login in the upper right corner).  Start a new project application as a delegate for the PI, and cut and paste the answers from your application to the new one.
  • Another way to do this is to open a printer-friendly view of the entire application from your HawkIRB inbox.  You can save this file or copy it to another document.  You will still have to then log in as a delegate for the PI and copy and paste these answers.