ABOUT HARPO Meet the staff HARPO is responsible for ensuring University compliance with federal, state and local regulations with regard to research. The Office provides administrative, organizational and regulatory support services to minimize the burden of faculty oversight committees and liaison to administrative units on campus related to: The Institutional Review Board (IRB) The Institutional Review Board (IRB) provides assurance (Federal Wide Assurance #FWA00000069) that UMBC will comply with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) policy as well as other federal and state regulations on protection of human subjects and provides oversight for the university's human research program. This oversight applies to all projects conducted by or collaboration with UMBC faculty, student, and staff. The Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee (IACUC) The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) provides assurance (Animal Welfare Assurance #A3784-01) that UMBC will comply with the Public Health Service (PHS) policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and provides oversight for the university's animal care and use program, as detailed in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, the U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals, and the Animal Welfare Act. This oversight applies to all projects conducted by or collaboration with UMBC faculty, student, and staff. Biosafety Program Biosafety is defined as a complete program of administrative controls, medical surveillance, vaccination, and containment strategies for reducing the risk of disease to employees facing potential occupational exposure to infectious agents or other biologically derived molecules. The focus of the UMBC biosafety program is provide information about working in a safe research environment and facilitating compliance with federal, state and university guidelines and regulations. HARPO Metrics