IRAS top tips

This is our guide to the Integrated Research Application System (known as IRAS).

It includes simple summaries of how to complete tasks and top tips to save you time.

Identifying which questions you need to complete

• When you first create a new project on IRAS, you will be shown some initial project filter questions. Your answers to these allows the website to work out which questions you need to complete for your research application.
• All the questions you need to answer will be shown on the home page for your project. Any irrelevant questions will be greyed out.
• If you need to make any changes to the initial set of project filter questions, you should see an option for this in the left-hand column of the home page. Please note, changes to these initial set of answers may change the application form questions you need to complete.
• When filling in answers you can return to the project home page by clicking the navigate button at the bottom of the page.    
• On the project home page, you should be able to see a list of the individual project forms in the column of the left-hand side of the page.
• For most studies only the IRAS form is needed. However, if your project involves more specific or unusual requirements, there may sometimes be other forms.

Filling in answers

• A lot of the questions will ask for details that are explained in your study protocol. So, while you are not meant to copy and paste sections of the protocol, it is useful to have a copy open for easy reference.
• If you are unsure of how to answer a question, click the green question mark icon and a pop-up box will appear providing guidance. If you are struggling with the answers to any governance or admin questions, for example ‘describe the sponsorship arrangements’, then our research and development team can help.
• Remember to frequently save your answers, using the option at the bottom of each page. This reduces the risk of losing information.    

Reviewing the application

• When we are the sponsor, we ask that you fill in the IRAS form as best you can. Then book a Teams call with us by contacting tewv.researchanddevelopment@nhs.net. This means we can carry out an initial review and help you with any support needed.
• Where we are not the sponsor, it is not mandatory for us to review the IRAS form. We still recommend sharing the IRAS form with us anyway, as good practice.
• In the lead up to a meeting with us to discuss your IRAS form, if possible, please provide a PDF copy in advance. To do this:
  • Go to your project home page on IRAS
  • Select the IRAS form in the left-hand column
  • Click the save/print tab
  • Click print this form for review. This will allow you to save a draft pdf copy.  

Authorising the application

• The IRAS form will need authorisations from the Chief Investigator (CI) and the Sponsor Representative. If you select IRAS form in the left-hand column, you should see a tab along the middle of the page titled Authorisations. Click here and add your authorisation by clicking sign if you are one of the listed roles (e.g., the CI). Or you can ask someone else to add their authorisation by clicking request and entering the email address they registered with on IRAS.
• Top tip: The authorisations are automatically removed if you change any of the IRAS form answers. This happens even if the changes are very minor or unintended. So, be careful when clicking around the IRAS pages.
• Top tip: If you select your IRAS form and then click on the e-submission tab, there is a verify your form button that allows you to check the IRAS form has been fully completed before adding authorisations.

Adding study documents to your application

• You will need to add certain study documents to the IRAS website before you submit your application. An example of this is the study protocol.
• If you select IRAS form in the left-hand column, you should see a tab along the middle of the page titled Checklist. The checklist tab shows a table of the mandatory documents and optional documents to be uploaded.
• For the optional documents you should only upload the document if it is relevant to your study. If it isn’t, enter not applicable in the reason not supplied column. As an example, if your study does not involve interviews then you would not need to upload an interview schedule.
• If you are in doubt about which finance and agreements documents need to be submitted or anything else, then please contact with our team and we can guide you.
• You can upload by either dragging any documents into the pink box or by using the paperclip icon on the right-hand side of each row.
• Top tip: ensure to include a subtitle, document date and document version for each uploaded document. If you don’t, the website may prevent you from submitting the application.

Finalising and submitting your application

• If you select IRAS form in the left-hand column, you should see a tab along the middle of the page titled E-Submission. This is where you can submit the application once the form is complete, authorised, and the study documents have been uploaded.
• There are two buttons listed in section A. Please note that the first check your form button is optional. It will only work if you have been using the optional tracking tool function when filling in the form. This is the tick icon next to each question to mark the sections that have been completed.
• However, the verify your form button is mandatory. Click this button and, after a delay, you should see a pop-up box showing if all questions and sections of the form are complete. You need to pass this check before you can submit.
• After passing this check, you will need to go to section B and click the book application button. This will take you to a different website where you enter some final details and select an NHS ethics committee to book onto, if that applies. At the end of this process, you will receive a reference number and text to enter into a section of the IRAS form.
• You can then click the e-submit application button in section C to submit your application.
• Top tip: Contact our team if you need any support. We can guide you through this process and have a log in for the book application website if you want us to enter the study details on your behalf.
• Top tip: Take care not to select or alter any other questions when adding the booking reference to your IRAS form. This is so you do not accidently invalidate the authorisations on your form. Otherwise, you could end up needing to collect the authorisations again before you can submit the application.