About

The Office of Regulatory Research Compliance (ORRC) operates under the Howard University Office of Research (OOR). The ORRC ensures that research at the University is conducted in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations and guidelines that protect human participants, animals, students, faculty, and staff involved with research.

Howard Mission

Howard University, a culturally diverse, comprehensive, research intensive and historically Black private university, provides an educational experience of exceptional quality at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels to students of high academic standing and potential, with particular emphasis upon educational opportunities for Black students. Moreover, the University is dedicated to attracting and sustaining a cadre of faculty who are, through their teaching, research and service, committed to the development of distinguished, historically aware, and compassionate graduates and to the discovery of solutions to human problems in the United States and throughout the world. With an abiding interest in both domestic and international affairs, the University is committed to continuing to produce leaders for America and the global community.

ORRC Mission

The mission of the Office of Regulatory Research Compliance is to foster and safeguard the institution's culture of compliance with applicable Federal, State and Local Regulations, Tribal Laws, and Institutional Policies and Procedures. This mission is accomplished collaboratively with faculty, staff, students, and various University committees and units. By engendering a culture of compliance, we preserve the ORRC/HU Federal Assurance, applicable to the ethical conduct of research involving human subjects, animals, hazardous materials, use of recombinant materials (rDNA, and synthetic nucleic acids), research integrity, conflict of interest, research security, and export control.

Alignment with the Howard University (HU) Mission

Congruent with the University's mission, the ORRC advances excellence in research, scholarship, and creative activities using a framework that enables compliant research programs across all academic disciplines. This compliant framework promotes academic excellence, inspires new knowledge, and uses new technology to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Through the adoption and implementation of Policies and Procedures that promote the safe, legal, and ethical conduct of research, the ORRC ensures that HU faculty, students, and staff adopt a culture of compliance and conduct research in a manner consistent with Federal, State, Local Regulations, and Tribal Laws.

ORRC Goals

• To facilitate a partnership of shared responsibility with faculty, students, and staff to ensure that research at Howard University is conducted in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations
• To promote trust and respect among researchers, compliance committees, faculty, students, research staff, and the community

Key roles of the ORRC

• Supporting and promoting the ethical conduct of research at Howard University.
• Facilitating the development of institution-wide research compliance policies and procedures for the Howard community.
• Educating students and faculty about regulations concerning human subjects research, animal care and use, biosafety, data use, and ownership.