I looked into this once and it was a few thousand dollars.
"But Matt", you'll say, "Isn't that a drop in the bucket compared to an R01 (a few hundred thousand/year), let alone a big program project grant? Why not spend a bit more to start data collection sooner?"
This is a pretty tempting proposal. However, I think this analysis almost misses the point. Programs run by people who can land big grants usually involve someone who already knows how to navigate the IRB process and can get things approved relatively quickly.
However, small or pilot projects tend to get bogged down, since the proposers have much less experience with the process, as in the article--and my own experience). These is especially true for people like the author, who aren't "full-time" human subjects researchers. The article didn't mention the projects' budget, but I would bet that if it wasn't zero, it was close to it (especially after covering salaries, etc). Even $1000 is going to be prohibitively expensive for many of these projects.
More philosophically, I think overseeing research is part of a university's job (and, as I complained above), one that is already paid for via overhead. There's also something vaguely worrying about the incentives of a for-profit IRB.
>>I looked into this once and it was a few thousand dollars.
Our IRB cost is 10% of that, or less, depending on the number you are choosing for "few." Maybe if you used WIRB or another IRB that is specific for drug trials, yes, it can run that expensive. For run of the mill published papers, no, you should not be using services like that.
>>There's also something vaguely worrying about the incentives of a for-profit IRB.
This would imply any reviewer or journal actually checks IRB qualifications on submission, review, or referee. Devor et al in the JSCR/Ohio State case and all the reviewers coming out as a result of that and saying they don't check IRB shows that it is anything but. Again, this isn't true for drug trials, but for expedited review minimal risk studies, there is no reason to be using bureaucratic and slow moving IRB providers.
EDIT:
>>Even $1000 is going to be prohibitively expensive for many of these projects.
There are many IRB providers who do expedited review, minimal-risk, standard studies for less than half of this cost.
EDIT2:
>>I think overseeing research is part of a university's job (and, as I complained above), one that is already paid for via overhead.
Sure. I'm not going to argue against the idea that the government or the university should do their jobs that they were paid to do. But they regularly and demonstrably do not, in far more fields than IRB. Private markets exist to go around this bureaucracy. IRB is no different.
A few hundred dollars, generally. Depending on provider.
>>And how does "I skipped our free IRB and paid this third-party IRB because they're laxer" really look to the department?
In my experience the third-party IRB orgs are not more lax, they are just faster at turning things around. Alexander's article bemoans primarily the time it took to get all these decisions made, which private IRBs would be on top of. I got my rejections of consent forms within 24 hours and get my docs pre-qualified over the phone after submission and discussion with reps. Try that at your local university's IRB. Alexander also has complaints about the questions and methods, but they're mostly unfounded. The study title aspect is important, the signing in pencil is not really relevant (I get his complaint but most industries don't allow contracts signed in pencil), and the transfer of the study to a new investigator unannounced is a huge breach of procedure and he's lucky that all the IRB asked was for a submission of a new investigator. Usually it is much more arduous.
IRB simply controls the ethics and the informed consent documents and has the right to audit materials and process at any time to ensure you stay up on these things. Beyond that, it doesn't do much. When you submit your paper to a peer-reviewed journal (some who don't even need IRB approval, just an ethics statement, mind you), they don't call your IRB provider and reference check you.
Ohio State researchers published a fraudulent article about CrossFit years ago in the JSCR, which is considered a very prestigious exercise science journal.
Devor stated they had IRB approval. In actuality, they did not. CrossFit sued NSCA (parent org of JSCR) and won lawyer's fees, and Ohio State settled with CrossFit for six figures for damages due to false publications.
IRB is a mere formality in today's landscape. You just need to get it out of the way. It's not like journals are cross-checking your IRB applications, they just want to see the approval that you put in there. And hell, if you're like Ohio State researchers (and probably many more), you can just lie about it.
I am curious: How much do you think private IRB engagement costs?