For up-to-date information and guidance on requirements for conducting human participant research at Brock during stages of pandemic and recovery, visit Brock’s Coronavirus information web-page.

Brock University is committed to the responsible and ethical conduct of research.

The fundamental imperative of research involving human participants is encapsulated in three core principles: respect for persons, concern for welfare, and justice. To this end, Brock University endorses and adheres to the principles set out in the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans – TCPS 2 (2018) as approved and amended by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

The Office of Research Ethics (ORE) is responsible for the ethical oversight of research involving human participants.

The Office provides centralized administrative and educational functions related to research ethics review. All human participant research conducted under the auspices and/or jurisdiction of Brock must receive ethics clearance from one of Brock University’s Research Ethics Boards (REB) prior to the start of the project.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE FUNCTIONING OF BROCK RESEARCH ETHICS BOARDS AND OFFICE OF RESEARCH ETHICS

The REB/ORE continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic situation. To keep up to date on the most recent guidance and requirements for research activities during stages of pandemic and recovery, please consult the research section of the coronavirus FAQ.

Principal Investigators (Faculty Supervisors) are responsible for keeping informed of, and complying with, all Brock University COVID-19 risk-mitigation strategies and requirements for human participant research. In light of the prospect that provincial orders and public health guidelines may call for greater restrictions in the future, researchers are expected to create the conditions to safely reduce or cease activities on short notice in case COVID-19 conditions change.

APPLICATION AND REVIEW PROCESSES FOR HUMAN PARTICIPANT RESEARCH

At present, the REB/ORE is functioning at full capacity.

Researchers can apply directly to the Office of Research Ethics by emailing submissions to reb@brocku.ca. Research Ethics applications must include an assessment of potential risks to participants, and where relevant, detail risk-mitigation strategies implemented with respect to current pandemic conditions. This includes in-person, human participant research that was previously suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions. Suspended projects cannot resume without new clearance from the REB.

Researchers wishing to start or relaunch research involving in-person interaction with human participants should consult the COVID-19 Guidelines and Considerations for Completing REB Applications for In-Person Research for guidance.

Note that as part of Brock’s COVID-19 risk mitigation strategy, all researchers, participants, and caregivers (where relevant) are recommended to self-screen for symptoms each day prior to in-person interaction on- or off-campus. Where individuals are feeling unwell, care should be taken to stay home to prevent transmission of any illness.

Research participants and caregivers (if present) must also complete the online COVID-19 risk acknowledgement form prior to their first research study visit, on- or off-campus. This information must be reconfirmed by the researcher, at each study visit.

In accordance with Canadian guidelines and Brock policy, the REB may require modifications to research or suspend research where participant or researcher welfare is at stake.