Includovate works with vulnerable and marginalised populations. The IRB ensures our research practices are ethical, inclusive, and aligned with global standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki and the Belmont Report. Through our IRB, we ensure that every project upholds our values of equity, respect, and evidence-based impact. 

The Includovate IRB serves important service gaps in the international development industry.  

1. Too often, research and evaluation projects in international development are not subject to ethical clearance. Includovate started an IRB specialising in international development because we recognised this gap. Many universities have IRBs that specialise in domestic research or non-human subject research. Such structures tend to be bureaucratic and time-intensive (e.g., taking up to three months to process an application, including clear research), which deters submissions for short-term assignments. 
2. Many international development research and evaluation projects are multi-country, while many IRB mechanisms are limited to a single nation or area. To meet the practical needs of research and evaluation in development, a global IRB mechanism, with reviewers who can accommodate multiple contexts and languages, is needed.   
3. The outcomes for development research are often a unique balance of theoretical and practical impacts.  International development research, and especially research for development (R4D) which is focused on using research to inform and improve development efforts, is a distinct research format with a dual focus on (1) generating knowledge and (2) achieving measurable, evidence-based, and positive change for disadvantaged populations, often in challenging contexts. Such research is held to high accountability standards for real-world results, whereas local or national research is more likely to be assessed on scientific merit and national relevance.
4. For Includovate, ethical clearance is an important practice of inclusion. Inclusive methods and practices start at the inception phase and are critical to designing good research.  Treatment of participants, and their rights and protections, is central to our approach.  Through our IRB, we ensure that our respondents will be robustly informed about the work they are contributing to and secure in their rights to participation and protection.  We want them to feel free to decline to participate in the research and to clearly understand their rights,  how their data will be used, and for what purpose. 

An ethical review is essential in research, particularly in international development, gender, and social inclusion studies, to ensure that all activities are conducted with respect, fairness, and responsibility toward the individuals and communities involved. Key reasons include:

• Protection of Participants: Many projects involve marginalised groups and individuals, such as women, refugees, indigenous people, and those living in poverty. Ethical review ensures that their rights, safety, privacy, and well-being are prioritised and protected throughout the research process.
• Informed Consent: Ethical review processes confirm that all participants clearly understand the aims, risks, and benefits of the research and that they are participating voluntarily. This is crucial when working with populations that may have limited power or voice. If illiterate people are respondents, then the informed consent can be read out to them or read by a trusted nominee.
• Cultural Sensitivity and Respect: As development work spans diverse cultural contexts, from Tonga to Nepal, Ethiopia, and beyond, ethical review helps ensure appropriate and sensitive research methods. It also helps to quality-check a study and ensure it does not unintentionally harm local traditions or exacerbate existing inequalities.
• Accountability and Integrity: Formal ethical oversight fosters transparency and trust with research participants and funding or partner organisations, ensuring that research processes and outcomes are credible and can be used for advocacy and policy change.
• Identifying Unintended Consequences: Research and evaluation practices are inherently imbued with power dynamics that operate through resource availability, institutional connections, and communication networks. Ethical review, especially by qualified, experienced reviewers, ensures that these dynamics, and their potential unintended impacts on communities,  are anticipated, identified and minimised. 

In summary, ethical review is a foundational step that upholds the dignity, safety, and rights of all involved, making research more responsible, effective, and impactful in driving equitable development.

Any researcher, organisation or team conducting research or evaluation can submit their research for IRB review. External researchers not associated with Includovate can also submit their application. Students can get a discounted price.

At present, we do not accept applications in languages other than English. We hope to add Arabic, French, and Spanish soon.

Research that includes human subjects, such as interviews, surveys, focus groups, observations, or analysis of personal data. This includes both qualitative and quantitative research. Includovate IRB reviews predominantly social and behavioural research with human participants. 

Includovate’s IRB DOES NOT review biomedical research projects involving biological products, colour additives, food additives, human drugs, or medical devices.

You can send us an initial project description, and we will conduct a free initial screening to see whether the application is within the scope of our review. You will then be instructed to complete the payment of 700 USD. Once a payment submission is received, you can send us your application using the template on our website, including Annexes. The Board then reviews your application for ethical considerations, focusing on criteria such as informed consent, data protection, risks and benefits, and cultural sensitivity. First feedback is provided within 10 working days, and revisions may be requested before final approval.

Review timelines vary depending on the complexity of the study. 

1. Initial review and feedback: However, Includovate will provide initial feedback within 10 business days after receiving your complete application. 
2. Client revise: Please reserve additional time to address IRB comments and suggestions afterwards. 
3. Second IRB review: We will review your incorporated comments further within three working days and, if they are well incorporated, provide a final ethical clearance letter. 

We recommend submitting proposals well in advance of your planned start date. If the IRB is not satisfied with the application after a second review, you may resubmit it with a new 700 USD payment. 

If your proposal is not approved, the IRB will provide detailed feedback outlining concerns and suggestions for improvement. You may revise and resubmit your application for reconsideration.

Includovate’s IRB comprises people from all over the world, including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. They represent a range of genders, religions, ages, countries, and disciplines. Currently, the IRB has 15 members, five of whom are internal and 10 external (not affiliated with Includovate). They are lawyers, community leaders, PhD-holding researchers, or health care professionals such as psychologists.

Absolutely. Includovate’s IRB is uniquely positioned to evaluate research through a lens of gender justice, intersectionality, and power analysis. We emphasise ethical reflexivity in all research processes.

Includovate uses Google Drive and has implemented role-based access control (RBAC) strategies to restrict data access based on user roles. Only assigned IRB members are granted permission to view your documents, and each authorised individual must sign a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement to prevent unauthorised disclosure. We have also implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. Additionally, sensitive data is secured using encryption and password-protected files.

You can learn more about the IRB process, access submission forms via our website: https://www.includovate.com/institutional-review-board/, or contact the IRB Secretariat at [email protected].