Changing the Principal Investigator (PI)

Description

The method for changing who is the Principal Investigator (PI) of a project depends on the status of the project submission.  

• Pre-submission to OPRS: If the project has not yet been submitted to OPRS for review, the PI can be changed by the person currently listed as PI.  
• Submitted but not yet approved: If the project has been submitted to OPRS, but is not yet approved, contact OPRS (irb@illinois.edu) to request the PI be changed.  
• Once study has been approved: Once the project has been approved, an amendment must be submitted and approved to change the PI. 

Tips:

1. Check the IRB number of the project, if the number starts with TMP (e.g. TMP25-3457), the project has not yet been submitted.  Once a project is submitted, it is automatically assigned its official IRB starting with IRB (e.g. IRB25-0001).
2. The person who creates the project in IRBOnline is automatically listed as the PI of a project.  If the person who creates the project is not the actual PI of the project, it is easiest to make that change prior to the application being submitted to OPRS.  
3. Only the person listed as PI will be able to change the PI on the application.  

 

Instructions for Changing PI Pre-Submission

 

 

Related FAQs

• Who can be a Principal Investigator (PI)?
• Can a graduate student submit the application?

Related Research Topics

• PI Responsibilities
• Principal Investigator Statement of Assurance

Revised Date

04-01-2025