External use of HRS Biosamples is subject to the following requirements and use policies.
Investigator Requirements
Study investigators must meet the following criteria:
- Have a Ph.D. or M.D.
- Hold a faculty appointment or research position at your institution
Institutional Requirements
The following criteria must be met:
- Be an institution of higher education, a research organization, or a government agency.
- Have an institutional review board (IRB) that complies with applicable Federal regulations governing research using human subjects.
- Demonstrate completion of research ethics training by all research team members.
Funding Requirements
Investigators proposing to access biospecimens must cover all costs, including pulling samples from the repository, any required processing or shipping, and documenting resulting data files. HRS will cover costs associated with sample selection and data file preparation for distribution.
Facility Requirements
Projects must be conducted at the Advanced Research and Diagnostics Laboratory (ARDL) at the University of Minnesota whenever possible. If a project requires the shipment of samples to an external lab, the applicant must provide a justification for shipment and a description of the proposed shipment methods.
Requirements for Approval
HRS will not consider applications that:
- Duplicate existing or planned HRS activities
- Are not consistent with the conditions of respondent consent
- Are not consistent with HRS scientific objectives and the priorities of our funding agencies, the Division of Behavioral and Social Research of the National Institute on Aging and the Social Security Administration.
- Are pilot studies testing biomarkers still in development
Commercial Use of HRS Data
Samples can be used for non-profit research purposes only. HRS will not approve requests that are subject to consulting or licensing obligations to another institution, corporation, or business entity. Approval will not be deemed a grant under any patents (either existing or future) or with any rights to future use.
Parsimonious Use of Biospecimens
Parsimonious use of biospecimens is an important consideration in the review of HRS ancillary study proposals. Ancillary Study investigators should therefore:
- consult with ARDL or their proposed laboratory before submitting an application
- determine the smallest possible biospecimen volumes needed to complete their proposed work
- only request those minimum volumes
Release of Study Data
All data produced may be made available to the HRS community of data users. All newly generated data will be considered the property of HRS. Data will be released by HRS as “User Contributed Files” and appropriate acknowledgement will be given to the participating investigators and funders. Researchers will retain proprietary use of resulting data for a period of up to six months after data QC is complete.