Mitacs Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans

 
Mitacs wishes to promote and fund research that is conducted according to the highest ethical standards. Mitacs has therefore adopted the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/eng/policy-politique/initiatives/tcps2-eptc2/Default/) as its standard of ethical conduct for research involving human subjects. As a condition of funding, Mitacs requires that its researchers and participating universities apply the ethical principles and articles of this policy.

 

Research Requiring Ethics Review
 

  • All research that involves living human participants requires ethics review and approval by a Research Ethics Board (REB) before the research is started.
  • Research involving human biological materials, as well as human embryos, fetuses, fetal tissue, reproductive materials and stem cells requires ethics review and approval before the research is started. This applies to materials derived from living and deceased individuals.
  • Researchers planning to involve First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples of Canada must follow the guidance provided by Chapter 9 of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans.
  • Following initial REB review and approval, research ethics review shall continue throughout the life of the project.

 

Review Process
 

  • Each research and internship proposal received at Mitacs must include a disclosure whether or not the proposed research involves living human subjects or human remains. Mitacs will not consider any proposal that does not include the above mentioned disclosure.
  • Research and internship proposals that involve living human subjects or human remains must be reviewed by the Participating University Research Ethics Board. 
  • A valid Ethics approval is required for the duration of the research project. Access to funding may be denied for projects that do not have ethical approval according to the Participating University Policies. Mitacs reserves the right to request a copy of the report to ensure compliance.
  • If the Participating University Research Ethics Board rejects a proposed project or terminates an ongoing project involving human subjects or human remains, the project will not be funded or will no longer be funded by Mitacs.  In such cases, Mitacs’ decision will be communicated to academic and partner organizations involved.