Building a Culture of Research Ethics in the Ontario Colleges OTTE ROSENKRANTZ PHD

Background and Current State In the beginning of research in the colleges… Applied research - or research and innovation - were not easily defined Because all research involving humans require Research Ethics Board assessment, Ontario college set about establishing REBs, some sooner that others. Most Ontario colleges now have established REBs. Some REBs are more experienced than others All REBs are governed by the Tri-Council Policy Statement 2 (2014) Not all members of the college communities are clear on what applied research is or when REB is needed

The Early Days Initially the REBs often offered assistance to faculty in terms of research design and methodology, and, less often, with grant applications We also proofread and corrected the syntax of protocols Minimal risk was not always understood REBs were sometimes part of the Research Department, had members who were senior leaders, and reported to senior leaders other than the President The lack of SWF time for faculty research activity was – and is – a constant concern

Currently… Fitting into the org. chart Budgets Office space Staff support Arms length from the Research Office Annual report to the president How much SWF time for the REB members How to manage student research protocols

Current Key challenges Most protocols reviewed by REBs are minimal risk – how to speed up the approval process Inconsistent approach to the approval of protocols across the colleges – reviews still take too long, and often require too many minute changes Some colleges insist that the TCPS2 Course on Research Ethics (CORE) tutorial be completed by researchers and that the certificate accompany the protocol Other colleges require administrative approval from institutional senior leaders before a protocol can be accepted for assessment Lack of clarity on the part of faculty, staff, and administrators about the nature of applied research, and the role and authority of the REB. Who owns the liability? Does liability extend to the REB members? Secure storage of protocols and related files is not consistent To date, no Ontario college has a dedicated research ethics office

Discussion points Harmonize the protocol approval process, possibly by regions, but under whose authority (liability concerns) Encourage the use of the common protocol form Encourage the use of the Expert Panel concept – or, possibly at a future date, a Board of Record Increase PD opportunities for REB members to foster a common understanding and implementation of the TCPS2 Provide PD opportunities to interested college faculty, staff, and administrators on the ethics approval process REBs are also responsible for the ethical conduct of student research, but how is that to be managed? Lack of clarity surrounding the delegated review of student research process, and what exactly constitutes “undergraduate” research at the colleges Support the REB with a research ethics office, staff support, a budget for PD

Thank you