Access the Huron Safety system. Use your Ohio State username (last name.#) and password to log in using two-factor authentication (e.g., Duo Security).
The Huron system can be accessed using Windows and Macintosh platforms.
Please email IBCInfo@osu.edu or open a Huron support ticket, ORHelp@osu.edu if you are unable to access the Huron system.
When searching for a study in Huron, select the Safety tab in the top navigator, then click the Submissions tab in the sub-navigator, finally select All Submissions in the table below. You can change the search type by "filter by" and then use the Wildcard (%) symbol before typing in the study number, PI name, or study title, if you do not know the exact match for your search.
Please refer to the investigator and research staff training on BuckeyeLearn for assistance developing a submission. The module will walk you through the process: https://go.osu.edu/ibc-training
The Huron SmartForm contains help text (viewed by clicking the "?" icon) that will address your questions while completing the application.
Email IBCInfo@osu.edu for assistance or Anthony Dent, dent.56@osu.edu to schedule office hours to assist with navigation in the Huron Safety system.
All initial review applications require departmental approval before they can be submitted. When a new study is ready for departmental review, check the box for "I certify that this submission is ready to be routed for departmental approval" on the submission's Departmental Approval page, click Save or Continue and then Exit to close the SmartForm. The protocol and any other applicable documents will be sent to the PI's departmental endorser via DocuSign. A verification message will then be sent to the PI that identifies their departmental endorser(s). Departmental endorsers may ask the PI and/or research team for more information or request required changes prior to endorsing the study.
When ready, the endorser will complete the form via DocuSign which then routes to the PI. The PI must then upload the executed DocuSign form to the submission in the Departmental Approval form section, click Save or Continue, Exit the form, then click Submit.
Departmental review and sign-off is required before a new study can be submitted to the IBC. You can reach out to the departmental endorser identified in the verification message.
If a study has been stuck for more than 2 weeks in department review, you may need to reset the departmental review assignment created for the reviewer. To do so, uncheck the box for "I certify that this submission is ready to be routed for departmental approval" on the submission's Departmental Approval page, click Save or Continue, and then Exit to close the form. In 1–2 hours, the departmental endorsement assigned to the approver will be voided in DocuSign and removed from the system. After this is done, follow the original process to check the box for "I certify that this submission is ready to be routed for departmental approval" on the submission's Departmental Approval page, click Save or Continue, and then Exit to close the form. A new departmental review assignment will then be created.
If you still experience issues with a departmental review, contact the Office of Research Help Desk at orhelpdesk@osu.edu.
If the departmental endorsement DocuSign envelope is sent to the wrong person, the envelope can be reassigned to the correct person by logging into docusign.com and using the reassignment feature. This action will allow the immediate envelope to be signed by the correct endorser without additional delays. Instructions for reassignment are available on the DocuSign support pages.
Departmental review assignments will be managed by IBC staff until an appropriate designation in Workday can be created to allow for departmental management of these endorsers. Please email orhelpdesk@osu.edu with any changes to the departmental endorser list if you experience an assignment that needs to be updated. Be sure to include the lastname.# of the individuals to be added or removed, as well as what department or college they should be assigned to. Requests will be validated to ensure their appropriateness before being processed.
There are two training courses, COI and RCR, that will stop submissions. All other training will be checked manually by administration staff.
If there is any selection which stops your submission from moving forward because the information is not located in the Huron system, please email IBCInfo@osu.edu.
If you can submit a protocol but one or more of the biological agents is not listed in the system, please add this in the "Other" prompt in the appropriate page, and the safety administration team can add it using the information you provided.
Yes. The following terms have changed from the legacy e-Protocol system:
The large orange box in the top left corner of the main study page will tell you the current status of your study.
Active Studies: Active research studies that were initially approved in e-Protocol were migrated to Huron. These studies retained the same protocol number assigned in e-Protocol. Log into the e-Protocol system and check to see which active protocols have a status of "migrated." Studies in e-Protocol with a status of "migrated" have been converted to the Huron Safety system and are read-only in e-Protocol. In the Huron Safety module, you will see only the studies that were migrated from e-Protocol.
Expired or Lapsed Studies: Expired or lapsed studies will not migrate to the Huron system. These studies will remain read-only in e-Protocol.
In-flight Submissions: Any submissions not yet approved in the e-Protocol system will not migrate to Huron on March 30th. A second migration will take place on April 10th for any submissions not approved before the first migration.
Checking your migrated study: When reviewing studies that were migrated into Huron, you may notice instances where information appears to be duplicated. This occurred because descriptive study information from e-Protocol had to be migrated and mapped to the most appropriate corresponding fields in Huron. Any repetitive information can be resolved during the study's renewal period. IBC staff will work with the protocol team during the renewal process to review and edit duplicated content as needed.
A PI proxy is a study team member designated by the PI to perform tasks on their behalf. Only the PI or PI proxy can officially "submit" applications and responses to the IBC. The Huron system allows for one or more PI proxies to be added to each study. At Ohio State, initial applications and modifications involving changes to "other parts of the study" must be personally submitted by the PI, which will be confirmed during screening and will be returned to the study team if not submitted by the PI. Remember that the PI is ultimately responsible for the ethical conduct of the study and for compliance with federal regulations, applicable state and local law, and university policies.
The primary contact can access the study and will receive study notifications. The primary contact also can create (but not submit) a submission on behalf of the PI. The Huron system allows for only one primary contact to be added to each study.
No, the Huron system does not have a role designated for additional contacts. The Huron system allows for only one primary contact. If the PI chooses to designate an individual or individuals to submit incomplete responses and responses to IBC on their behalf, they must be listed as an administrator or research personnel on the study, and the PI would need to designate them as a PI Proxy.
Recent changes to NIH requirements now mandate more detailed and publicly accessible Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) meeting minutes. NIH requires institutions and their IBCs to produce meeting minutes that sufficiently document biosafety review and oversight activities. These minutes must clearly demonstrate to NIH and the public that the IBC is fulfilling its responsibilities under the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules.
To meet these requirements, changes were made to the Huron system, including updates to meeting minute formats and the addition of new questions. These changes reflect enhanced documentation standards that were not required in the legacy e-Protocol system but are now necessary to ensure compliance with current NIH expectations.
When entering materials in the Huron Safety module, use the pop-up window to add the room number where items will be used. A comprehensive list of room locations has been added to this list. If you are having difficulty finding your building or room number, please utilize the wildcard (%) to assist in locating your room number or building location.
You can also filter by other criteria, such as the facility type (for example, a facility type of "building" to find all buildings). For longer location names, you may need to try different search terms. For example:
Article ID: 132
Created: March 26, 2026
Last Updated: March 27, 2026
Online URL: https://ohiostateresearch.knowledgebase.co/article/huron-safety-system-faqs-132.html