• Earn the respect and meet the expectations of your peer institutions. More than 60 percent of U.S. research-intensive universities and 65 percent of U.S. medical schools are either AAHRPP accredited or have begun the process.
• Play a leadership role in collaborative efforts. Increasingly a requirement for collaboration, AAHRPP-accredited organizations often insist that it be a determining factor in decisions on external IRB review.
• Gain a competitive edge with sponsors and other funders. Sponsors / funders recognize that accredited institutions have more efficient operations, provide more comprehensive protections and produce high-quality data.
• Reduce the risk of non-compliance. It signifies that the organization has built the necessary infrastructure for a quality human research protection program and generally has more streamlined policies, keeps better records and more likely to avoid costly shutdowns.
• Enhance their standing with U.S. federal agencies. Many federal agencies are seeking accreditation for their own HRPPs.
• Benefit from a common commitment to continuous quality improvement. Accredited institutions share innovative practices and collect data to help establish benchmarks and assess quality improvement.

1. Submit application for AAHRPP re-accreditation (Sept. 15).
2. AAHRPP reviews step 1 application and sends results.
3.  UB then responds with any necessary revisions.
4. Once all revisions are approved, UB sends the step 2 application.
5. After receiving the step 2 application, AAHRPP schedules a site visit.
6. Reviewers send the university a draft report of the site visit.
7. UB then responds to the report.
8. The Council on Accreditation reviews the final site visit report.

The entire process may take from six months to one year.