The role of the Research Ethics and Compliance Unit (Office of Research) is to:

• Ensure the compliance and ethical integrity of all research done under the auspice of Concordia
• Ensure that all research is conducted in accordance with applicable regulations including international, federal and provincial law, as well as granting agency and Concordia policies

Compliance certification is required for all research involving:

• Human participants
• Animals
• Radioactive, biological or hazardous materials, lasers, and controlled goods

Certification must be obtained prior to starting the research.

Faculty and staff research funds/awards cannot be released until appropriate certification has been obtained. For information regarding the release of graduate student funds/awards please contact the School for Graduate Studies, for information regarding the release of undergraduate student funds/awards please contact the Financial Aid and Awards Office, or the Faculty/Department.

Compliance falls under the auspice of two Administrative Units:

• Research involving human participants or animals falls under the auspice of the Research Ethics and Compliance Unit
• Research involving radioactive, biological or hazardous materials and lasers falls under the auspice of the Environmental Health and Safety Office. For more information, please contact us or consult the Environmental Health and Safety Office

For information regarding controlled goods certification please contact the Research Ethics and Compliance Officer directly.

The Research Ethics and Compliance Unit is available to provide services such as:

• Acting as liaison between researchers and the research ethics and compliance committees
• Meeting with and guiding researchers through the ethical review process
• Providing advice and support to researchers while completing the ethics submission and conducting pre/ initial reviews before official submission
• Providing continuous support to researchers throughout the duration of their research
• Providing workshops and information sessions

If there is ever a question as to whether or not a project requires compliance certification, please contact us for an assessment.

The University Human Research Ethics Committee (UHREC) and UHREC, Disciplinary College ensures that research involving human participants adheres to the research guidelines of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans and regulatory bodies.

The University Animal Research Ethics Committee (UAREC) ensures that research and teaching involving animals adheres to the research and teaching guidelines of The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and regulatory bodies.