Building on the Report of the Experts Committee for Human Research Participant Protection in Canada, the Sponsors' Table Identifies Four Priorities
For Immediate Release
OTTAWA (July 18, 2008)
In September 2006, the Sponsors' Table for Human Research Participant Protection in Canada created an independent Experts Committee, chaired by the late Arthur Kroeger, to provide advice on the development of a system for human research participant protection in Canada, considering accreditation and alternative models, and taking into account different levels and types of risk in research.
In August 2007, the Experts Committee released its draft report for public consultation (held between August and November 2007). 104 submissions were received totaling 600 pages. The Sponsors' Table would like to thank all those who submitted comments for their thoughtful insights and suggestions. An independent analysis of the formal submissions received from this public consultation can be found at the Sponsors' Table's web site, www.hrppc-pphrc.ca.
The Experts Committee completed its work this spring and formally submitted its final report Moving Ahead. This report can also be found at the Sponsors' Table's web site.
On June 11, 2008, the Sponsors' Table met to consider next steps on the Experts Committee's report and related issues.
The Sponsors' Table is committed to building on the progress made over the past ten years and will move ahead in a timely fashion to strengthen the governance of research ethics in Canada.
The Sponsors' Table has identified four priorities and, depending on resource requirements, have set targeted dates as follows:
Policy
The Sponsors' Table recognizes the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS) as the basic policy framework for the protection of research participants and looks forward to the second edition of the TCPS in the spring of 2009, following a period of public consultation. A subcommittee of the Sponsors' Table will consider questions of governance related to the continued evolution of the TCPS and to its use in ensuring protection of research participants regardless of where the research is performed. The subcommittee report should be completed by June 2009.
Education
The Sponsors' Table believes that effective education is central to the success of any human participant protection system. The policy subcommittee will be tasked with proposing objectives and initial milestones for the development of a comprehensive Canadian research ethics education strategy. This task may coincide with and, to a certain extent be combined with, an education and communications strategy for the second edition of the TCPS. The strategy should be completed by June 2009.
Accreditation
The Sponsors' Table acknowledges that certain sectors of the research community have an understandable and valid need for a voluntary accreditation system. It will form a subcommittee to develop a pilot project for establishing a voluntary accreditation process in Canada. This subcommittee will ensure, insofar as possible, compatibility with international research ethics norms. This includes engaging experts and organizations in the field such as the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs. The pilot project should be in place by June 2009.
Proportionate Review
The Sponsors' Table will ensure that the need for a system of ethics review that is proportional to risk is fully addressed in future initiatives by establishing a subcommittee to:
These four initiatives will be monitored by the Sponsors Table to ensure they are carried out in a coordinated, collaborative manner. Benchmarks will be established to ensure timely progress.
The Sponsors' Table would like to express its sincere appreciation to all members of the Experts Committee for their hard work during the last two years. Committee members worked as volunteers and their commitment to the issues of human research participant protection in Canada meant that time away from family and friends could be dedicated to promoting ethical research in Canada.
More information and regular updates can be found on our web site at www.hrppc-pphrc.ca
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