Harmonized research ethics process and institutional approvals

Approval to conduct harmonized research

In order to conduct harmonized research at Fraser Health, Principal Investigators must obtain:

1. Fraser Health Research Ethics Board (FHREB) Approval: A Harmonized Research Ethics Board Certificate of Approval issued through the Provincial Research Ethics Platform (PREP) via the UBC RISe system
2. Fraser Health Letter of Authorization to Conduct Research issued by the Department of Evaluation and Research Services (DERS) via the Fraser Health ROMEO Research Portal

Harmonized, multi-jurisdictional studies involving staff, participants, facilities, and or resources from two or more Research Ethics BC (REBC) partner institutions must submit a single harmonized ethics application through the Provincial Research Ethics Platform (PREP) via the UBC RISe system.

To submit a study for harmonized ethical review, you must have a campus wide login (CWL). Once you have an active CWL, log on to UBC RISe system to complete and submit your ethics application. 

Note to Fraser Health Principal Investigators (PI): Please email a research ethics and regulatory specialist to request PI status be added to your RISe account. 

RISe tutorials, guidance notes, and mock ethics applications using the RISe Sandbox are available here.

All research utilizing Fraser Health resources, property, facilities, patients, staff, or data requires a Letter of Authorization to Conduct Research (LOA) in addition to the ethics approval. The LOA will be released once all additional applicable approvals (i.e. privacy review, operational approvals, research agreements, etc.) have been issued. In order to apply for the LOA and any applicable operational approvals, the Principal Investigator must apply to Initiate a Project Record on the ROMEO Research Portal.

Fraser Health requires the following items be in place for external principal investigators before DERS issues the LOA:

1. Fraser Health Research Affiliation: External principal investigators must have an affiliation agreement with Fraser Health. To initiate an affiliation agreement, please contact Octavia Choi.
2. Fraser Health Study Co-Investigator: external principal investigators with a Fraser Health affiliation agreement also requires a Fraser Health study Co-Investigator.

All of the following must be issued before research-related activities at Fraser Health sites may commence:

1. Harmonized certificate of ethical approval
2. Fraser Health Letter of Authorization to Conduct Research

For details regarding harmonized studies at Fraser Health, contact a research ethics and regulatory specialist.

Depending on your research requirements, privacy review, contracts negotiation, grant funding agreements, and other departmental service-provision agreements may be required before the Fraser Health LOA can be released. For more information, contact research.approvals@fraserhealth.ca.