Louis Bachelier Institutional Review Board Last modification: 04/20/2023 An increasing number of high-profile scientific journals are requiring IRB review prior to publication, Institut Louis Bachelier (ILB) has set up an Institutional Review Board (IRB) accredited by the US Department of Health and Human Services. This IRB accreditation, initially given to American ethics committees, has become the international standard. The IRB is a multidisciplinary ethics committee that provides advisory opinions on research protocols that involve human subjects. IRB’s opinions are given following an expertise of the research protocol on an ethical analysis of the objectives, the method, modalities of inclusion, information, consent, data collection and conservation, respect of confidentiality, accompaniment and respect of the dignity, integrity and rights of the persons during the research. On the other hand, it is the research teams’ responsibility to ensure compliance with the law (Jardé, RGPD, CNIL, possibly local legislation if the study is carried out outside France, etc.). How to apply The IRB can be referred to by members of the ILB Chairs and by researchers from ILB’s partner academic institutions, for research in the following areas: Economics, finance, social sciences ; Applied mathematics, artificial intelligence, data science; Actuarial science, risk studies; Other areas of ILB expertise. This excludes all research on human beings with a view to developing biological or medical knowledge as defined in articles L-1121-1 et seq. of the French public health code and which require the opinion of a Comité de protection des personnes (CPP). This also excludes experiments on animals, which are the responsibility of an animal experimentation ethics committee. It is mandatory to apply to the BRI before starting the research. To apply, the following cumulative requirements must be met: Make a request to the IRB permanent secretariat to obtain the application form at the following address: irb@institutlouisbachelier.org ; Obtain the agreement of the director of the institution or chair to which the applicant belongs; One of the members of the research team must have completed an ethic training If the research project is carried out by a student or a doctoral student, only the supervisor can apply to the IRB. Functioning Upon receipt of a complete file, the President appoints two rapporteurs to examine the research protocol. The members of the IRB then meet at the latest one month after the application has been submitted to deliberate. Members in conflict of interest withdraw from the meeting. The IRB gives 4 types of advice: Favorable Favorable with reserves (minor modifications validated by the rapporteurs) Reserved (major changes to be submitted to the IRB) Incompetent Unfavorable The IRB’s opinion takes the form of a letter signed by the IRB President. Any change in the research protocol must be validated by the IRB before being implemented by the research team. In addition, the research team must report to the IRB any unforeseen issues that impact individuals. Members The IRB is composed of the following members: Guillaume Hollard (president), professor of economics and vice-president of the Department of Economics at École Polytechnique Marielle de Jong (vice-president), professor of finance at the Grenoble School of Management Jean Berthon, Associate Actuary – FAIDER/Better Finance Samia Brisson, lawyer – Louis Bachelier Institute Florence Picard, Actuary – High Council of the Institute of Actuaries Bertrand Villeneuve, professor of economics at the University of Paris-Dauphine The members are appointed by the ILB Board of Directors upon proposal of the ILB Scientific Board. For any information request, please contact the permanent secretariat at the following address: irb@institutlouisbachelier.org
