Our Standards of Ethical Review
Research Ethics Standards & Compliance
Nova Ethical Review is committed to rigorous, independent and proportionate ethical review of research involving human participants.
NER's Research Ethics Board is structured and operates in accordance with the principles and requirements of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans — TCPS 2 (2022), including its core principles of Respect for Persons, Concern for Welfare, and Justice.
Where applicable to the research under review, NER also conducts its reviews with consideration of relevant Canadian federal and provincial legislation, regulatory requirements and recognized research ethics standards, including:
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TCPS 2 (2022)
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Part C, Division 5 of the Canadian Food and Drug Regulations, where applicable to regulated drug clinical trials
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Health Canada Good Clinical Practice requirements and applicable ICH-GCP guidance
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Applicable federal and provincial privacy and personal health information requirements
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Institutional requirements and research ethics agreements applicable to the research under review
NER maintains written policies and procedures governing Research Ethics Board composition, independence, conflicts of interest, initial and continuing review, delegated review, informed consent, amendments, reportable events, study closure, documentation and records' retention.
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NER may also serve as an external Research Ethics Board or Board of Record where an institution has formally authorized such an arrangement. TCPS 2 specifically permits institutions to delegate ethics review to an external, specialized or multi-institutional REB through an appropriate review model or agreement.
Our objective is straightforward: to provide independent, knowledgeable and efficient ethical oversight while protecting the rights, safety, dignity and welfare of research participants.
