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IRBs or ethical review committees as they are identified in the island are well established in almost all medical faculties. Perhaps newly established Rajarata and just out of the civil war Jaffna and south eatsern university IRBs may be partly functional. However Colombo, Peradeniya, Jayawardenepura and Kelaniya IRBs in the medical faculties are fully functional and some other IRBs such as Sri Lanka Medical Council, National Science Foundation, Medical Research Institute and one at the National Hosapital are functioning too. IRD (institute of Research & Development) is a independent academic organisation which i am attched to and a founding member is a body gazetted by parliament and depend on charitable research money to conduct research. Its aim to create a research culture in Sri Lanka. We do not review research proposals for ethical approval but submit them to university IRB that is closest to us. However we have a seperate think tank on bioethics and we are very active in teaching, publishing, and leading discussions on bioethical issues. The University IRB reviews research proposals and comments on research methods, ethical issues questionaires and informed consent. They have revamped the structure within last few years and charges Rs 1000 (US$ 9.50) per externbal application. They also give provisional approval and after submitting completed research give the final approval. I feel that all IRBs give an overemphasis on the informed consent forms. My generic usage of informed consent form encompasses participant information leaflet and the consent form.