Research Ethics on the Fort Garry campus

The University of Manitoba (UM) is committed to protecting the rights and welfare of humans participating in research studies.

All research projects involving humans conducted at, or under the auspices of the University of Manitoba, require prior ethics review and approval by a Research Ethics Board (REB).

There are two REBs at the Fort Garry Campus. Protocol applications to REB 1 and REB 2 are administered through the Research Administration System.

Biomedical studies and studies from the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences(except from the College of Nursing) are administered through the Research Ethics Office at the Bannatyne Campus.

Workshops and Drop-in Sessions

The office provides weekly drop-in sessions for all researchers, including students. We will be available to answer questions on the ethics application as well as feedback you have received from the committees. If you are not available during the specified time, please email humanethics@umanitoba.ca with your questions or to set up another time to meet. 

Time: Wednesdays from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
https://umanitoba.zoom.us/j/61892069166?pwd=YnlRcjE4eXZQZzdoVFNpbHJVNUVEUT09
Meeting ID: 618 9206 9166
Passcode: Ethics
Please log in using your myumanitoba.ca or umanitoba.ca account. 

Additional Drop-In Sessions

Time: May 5, 2023 from 8:30am to 12:00pm
https://umanitoba.zoom.us/j/61778105035?pwd=bkx0THFsK21PVFUrcjMxY0RyZzdBQT09 
Meeting ID: 617 7810 5035
Passcode: Ethics
Please log in using your myumanitoba.ca or umanitoba.ca account.

Time: May 8, 2023 from 8:30am to 12:00pm
https://umanitoba.zoom.us/j/67384369094?pwd=Q1ZtNkh0S0tVVDlXcCtkQ0JORUVBZz09 
Meeting ID: 673 8436 9094
Passcode: Ethics
Please log in using your myumanitoba.ca or umanitoba.ca account.


The Human Ethics- Fort Garry office also provides workshops in the fall and winter terms. Anyone is welcome to join these sessions. In this 1.5 hour workshop, with a 30 minute question period to follow, participants are given an overview of research ethics, including helpful tips and best practices to ensure compliance with provincial and federal guidelines. Researchers learn about the Fort Garry REB timelines, how to create a well-prepared ethics application using the new RAS system, and receive key tips from the Human Ethics Office.

Time: May 2, 2023 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
https://umanitoba.zoom.us/j/69971969859?pwd=dGIwV0ZXSVVnNDI0V29YSlZLc25LQT09
Meeting ID: 690 3229 6471
Passcode: HEREB
Please log in using your myumanitoba.ca or umanitoba.ca account. 

Applications

The Human Ethics Office has migrated to the new Research Administration System (RAS), which will integrate all the Human Ethics forms. Electronic forms will flow from creation to completion, through one electronic system, along the approval process.

Please make sure to upload your CORE and PHIA (if applicable) certificates to your user profile in the new system as soon as possible as these are required for protocol submission.

Research Administration System website

For RAS assistance or to request a training session, contact ras_support@umanitoba.ca. Full RAS training materials and further FAQs can be found by logging into UM Learn and choosing Self-Registration and then Research Administration System.

Research Ethics Board

Approval timelines

All submissions (i.e. new applications, revisions, amendments) are first reviewed by the Human Ethics Office for clarity, consistency and compliance. The pre-review process by the Human Ethics Office is typically one week.

The initial review process by the Research Ethics Board is typically three to six weeks.

Revisions and amendments typically take one week to review. If the application is inconsistent and unorganized, the review process will take longer. To avoid undue delay, please complete the application carefully and thoroughly.

Meeting schedules and protocol deadlines

The REBs schedule meetings each month to review protocols that are deemed greater than minimal risk.

For studies deemed greater than minimal risk, please submit a protocol application by 4:30 p.m. on the following deadline dates.

Please note, studies are required to be submitted by the first deadline date in order to be considered for the upcoming meeting. We will conduct a pre-review and may return the protocol to you within 2 business days. For protocols that require revisions, you must resubmit by the re-submission deadline. We will send you an email at the same time as the revision feedback with the due date to re-submit. Studies that are still not complete will be sent back and may not be included in the upcoming meeting.

REB 1 schedule

REB 1 Deadline 

Re-submission Deadline

Meeting Date

August 29th, 2022

September 6th, 2022

September 19th, 2022

September 26th, 2022

October 3rd, 2022

October 17th, 2022

October 24th, 2022

October 31st, 2022

November 21st, 2022

November 28th, 2022

December 5th, 2022

December 19th, 2022

December 19th, 2022

January 4th, 2023

January 16th, 2023

January 23rd, 2023

January 30th, 2023

February 13th, 2023

February 27th, 2023

March 6th, 2023

March 20th, 2023

March 27th, 2023

April 3rd, 2023

April 17th, 2023

April 24th, 2023

May 1st, 2023

May 15th, 2023

May 29th, 2023

June 5th, 2023

June 19th, 2023

June 26th, 2023

July 3rd, 2023

July 17th, 2023

REB 2 schedule

REB 2 Deadline

Re-submission Deadline

Meeting Date

August 17th, 2022

August 24th, 2022

September 7th, 2022

September 14th, 2022

September 21st, 2022

October 5th, 2022

October 12th, 2022

October 19th, 2022

November 2nd, 2022

November 16th, 2022

November 23rd, 2022

December 7th, 2022

December 14th, 2022

December 21st, 2022

January 4th, 2023

January 11th, 2023

January 18th,2023

February 1st, 2023

February 8th, 2023

February 15th,2023

March 1st, 2023

March 15th, 2023

March 22nd,2023

April 5th, 2023

April 12th, 2023

April 19th, 2023

May 3rd, 2023

May 17th, 2023

May 24th, 2023

June 7th, 2023

June 14th, 2023

June 21st, 2023

July 5th, 2023

Board membership

There are two Research Ethics Boards (REBs) at the Fort Garry Campus. The following departments/faculties are to submit their applications to the appropriate REB as listed below.

Research Ethics Board 1 (REB 1)

  • Asper School of Business
  • College of Nursing
  • Department of Psychology
  • Department of Sociology and Criminology
  • Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management
  • Faculty of Social Work
  • Student Counselling and Career Centre


Research Ethics Board 2 (REB 2)

    • Administrative Research 
    • Arthur V. Mauro Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
    • Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
    • Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources
    • Desautels Faculty of Music
    • Extended Education
    • Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
    • Faculty of Architecture
    • Faculty of Arts (except the departments of Psychology, and Sociology & Criminology)
    • Faculty of Education
    • Faculty of Science
    • Faculty of Law
    • Libraries
    • Price Faculty of Engineering
    • School of Art

Frequently asked questions

The following frequently asked questions were developed by the Fort Garry Research Ethics Boards (REBs). If you have further questions, please email humanethics@umanitoba.ca.

Different types of review processes

There are three types of reviews at the Fort Garry Human Ethics office.

  • Delegated review: This is the most common. Minimal risk ethics applications are processed on an ongoing basis and do not have a deadline.
  • Full board review: Studies that are more than minimal risk undergo full review. The deadline to submit a study for full review is two weeks before the REB meeting. Please check the full list of deadline dates below for more information. Protocols must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. Protocols received after that date and time will move to the next month’s meeting. Please note, the REBs do not meet in August.
  • Chair review: Protocols that have been approved by another Canadian university may undergo Chair review. This process only applies for studies when the UM researcher is listed as a co-Investigator or if the studies do not include UM researchers. Also, secondary use of data may also undergo Chair review.

How to determine what type of review your protocol needs

The TCPS 2 defines minimal risk research as "research in which the probability and magnitude of possible harms implied by participation in the research is no greater than those encountered by participants in those aspects of their everyday life that relate to the research." Studies that are minimal risk will undergo delegated review. Studies that are more than minimal risk will undergo full board review.

As per the TCPS 2, the default review is full board. If we are unsure, or on the fence, the study will undergo full board review.

When determining risk, the REB takes into account the study population, the extent and likelihood of a participant experiencing harm, and the type of risk.

If you are not sure of the type of review your protocol needs, please submit your protocol before the full board review deadline.

How long a protocol is approved for

Protocols are approved for one year only. If your study will continue past one year, please submit a Renewal Request before the expiry date.

When a study can be closed

Ethics clearance is required until all communication with participants is complete (i.e., recruitment, data collection, follow up, summary of findings etc.).

If you will be in contact with participants again, even if it is just to send a summary of findings, you will need active ethics. If communication with participants in regards to this study is complete, you may submit the Study Closure Form and close the study.

Once the study is closed, we cannot reopen it. A new application, which will undergo review, will need to be submitted to continue the study.

Ethics approval for researchers from outside of the University of Manitoba

Protocols that have been approved by another Canadian university may be reviewed by the Chair of the REB only.

This process may be accepted if University of Manitoba faculty, staff, students or alumni will be recruited, but there is no faculty member from the University of Manitoba on the research team. It may also be accepted if a University of Manitoba researcher team member is listed as a co-Investigator.

Please submit the full application and approval certificate from your institution for our review to humanethics@umanitoba.ca.

Keeping research data

The TCPS 2 Chapter 5: Privacy and Confidentiality states "in considering the adequacy of proposed measures for safeguarding information during its full life cycle, REBs should not automatically impose a requirement that researchers destroy the research data. Stored information may be useful for a variety of future purposes. Appropriate data retention periods vary depending on the research discipline, research purpose and the kind of data involved."

The REB does not have restrictions on data retention and destruction. Instead, we ask the researcher to provide justification for how long they will keep the data.

Data can be kept indefinitely. However, data should be anonymized when it is possible to do so. Furthermore, safeguards should be put in place to keep the information confidential.

Whatever you decide to do, this information needs to be expressed to participants in the informed consent form.

Rules for participant gifts/honorariums

TCPS 2 states that "because incentives are used to encourage participation in a research project, they are an important consideration in assessing voluntariness. Where incentives are offered to participants, they should not be so large or attractive as to encourage reckless disregard of risks."

Payment to participants for participation in research studies should not be considered a benefit. It is a method for compensating research volunteers for out-of-pocket expense, such as parking or meals, and/or lost wages as a result of time spent in the study. Payment to participants should not constitute undue inducement by leading to an increase in voluntariness or a decrease in the understanding with which participants agree to participate.

The payment should be provided once the participant consents to participating. The payment amount can accrue as the study progresses but should not be contingent upon the participants completing the entire study. If the study requires multiple visits, researchers may provide compensation in increments for each visit the participant attends, providing that such an incentive is not coercive. The REB will ensure that the amount paid is reasonable and not so large as to unduly coerce participants to stay in the study when they would otherwise have withdrawn.

The amount and schedule of all payments should be presented to the REB with the initial submission. The REB will review both the amount of payment and the proposed method and timing of disbursement to ensure that neither is coercive or presents undue influence.

Human Ethics policies

Guidelines and templates

The following guidelines and templates were developed by the Fort Garry Research Ethics Boards and approved for use by the Human Ethics Resource Committee.

Educational resources

REDCap

REDCap is a web-based program designed to support research data management with electronic data capture technology. Developed by Vanderbilt University, it is in use at more than 3,000 sites around the world. You are encouraged to use the built-in tools for assessing data quality, generating reports, graphs and descriptive statistics, and sharing access among team members.

CORE-2022

The online tutorial CORE-2022 (Course on Research Ethics) is an introduction to the TCPS 2 for the research community. It focuses on the TCPS 2 ethics guidance that is applicable to all research involving human participants, regardless of discipline or methodology.

Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research

Review this documentation online to gain an understanding of policies, requirements and ways to manage agency funds related to applying for and performing research. This includes information on disseminating your results and processes that institutions and agencies follow in the event of an allegation of a breach of an agency policy.

Contact us

Human Ethics Officer
Crop Technology Centre
208-194 Dafoe Road
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2

204-474-7122