As we announced in November 2021, we had to make short-term arrangements with the University of Alberta to have their REBs review your research involving human participants. We are extending those arrangements and instead of using our existing “paper-based” forms and processes we are now ready to use the University of Alberta’s (UA) online ethics system (ARISE). UL health researchers have used ARISE since 2014 and we know that this move will save you, your students and your research teams time and effort. It will also simplify the work of the UA and its REB members who have stepped up to support us.
To assist with the transition, we have invited our current HPRC members to sit on the UofA REB that will be reviewing our protocols. The UA will provide training and support to these volunteers. Between now and December 31, 2022, we will look at ways that we can better incorporate our requirements and local considerations in the UA REBs’ processes.
We will be asking for your feedback to finetune our arrangements with UA and of course you are always welcome to provide suggestions to research.ethics@uleth.ca . No matter what form our future arrangements for REB review take, the move to have our ethics applications maintained on the ARISE platform will be permanent, so the information below will assist with both your immediate needs and any future research that you are planning. Please review the details below carefully as it contains information to assist this with transition. Also, please forward this email to any of your students/trainees as applicable.
New applications
Effective February 8, 2022 all NEW ethics applications must be submitted through ARISE. See Getting Started - University of Lethbridge applicants for a step by step guide to creating a new ethics application in the ARISE system.
Renewal or Amendment of Existing Approved Applications
If you have an ethics application that was approved by the UL HPRC before November 1, 2021, that approval will be honored and your study will not be re-reviewed by the University of Alberta REB. However, all paper based applications will need to be transitioned into the ARISE system in time for its annual renewal or if you are making an amendment, whichever comes first. Specific instructions are outlined in the table below. Remember, you can create an ethics application at any time in ARISE and hold it in “Pre-Submission” until you are ready to submit it for review.
Closure of Existing Approved Applications
If you do not need to maintain your active ethics approval, closure notices can be submitted via paper application form by emailing the form to research.ethics@uleth.ca.
Thank you in advance for your assistance and cooperation as we navigate this new system.
There are resources to help you start working in ARISE:
- Getting Started – general instructions for accessing the system
- Getting Started for University of Lethbridge Researchers – instructions specifically for UofL applicants
- ARISE Help & Video Tutorials – additional resources for using the system
- Human Participant Forms and Guidance - templates for consent documents and guidance documentation, including the full UA REB application form
If you have any questions about ARISE or the UA REBs, contact reoffice@ualberta.ca. This is the general help inbox for the UA Research Ethics Office and your inquiry will be answered or redirected as needed. Once your application is in the system, a REB Specialist will be assigned to your study and will be able to answer specific questions about ethics application via email within ARISE. Finally, Ms K Kordov, the Associate Director of REO, has offered to do some online ARISE training sessions, if there is interest in such training.
For general information about this transition you can contact the University of Lethbridge Office of Research Innovation Services, Keiko McCreary at research.ethics@uleth.ca.
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Use the Getting Started - University of Lethbridge applicants guide |
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1) Obtain a UA CCID (note: it may take 24-48 hours to receive your CCID and for it to be recognized within the ARISE system) |
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2) Once your CCID is activated, log into the ARISE system and click New Human Study - to create a new ethics application. |
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*NOTE: The ARISE system sends system-generated notifications to inform applicants when an application moves through the review process (ie. when it is sent back to you for changes, when it is approved, when a renewal is due, etc). The notifications will go to the @ualberta.ca email address associated with your UofA CCID but you can (and should) redirect them to your preferred email address. To change your preferred email address:
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ANNUAL RENEWAL |
AMENDMENT |
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3) In Section 1.1 (1.0) of the application form type U of L RENEWAL, Your U of L Ethics ID, “Your study title”. This will clearly identify the application as an annual renewal of an existing HPRC approved application. |
3) In Section 1.1 (1.0) of the application form type U of L AMENDMENT, Your U of L Ethics ID, “Your study title”. This will clearly identify the application as an amendment request for an existing HPRC approved application. |
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4) Download and complete the fillable word document UA Annual Renewal application form to describe your activity over the past year. Upload it to the documentation section of the ethics application. |
4) Download and complete the fillable word document U of L Amendment application form to describe your proposed amendment. Upload it to the documentation section of the ethics application. |
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5) Using the U of L to U of A application mapping guidance, copy and paste the responses from your approved U of L application into the applicable sections of the ARISE application. Do not propose ANY CHANGES to your existing approved application when completing a renewal application. Upload your current approved ethics application (and any attachments) and UL approval certificate. |
5) Using the U of L to U of A application mapping guidance, copy and paste the responses from your approved U of L application into the applicable sections of the ARISE application. Where you propose changes, make sure you populate the ARISE application form with these changes being reflected. |
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6) Note in the ARISE application any question which has a red colored asterisk in front of it is a MANDATORY question. If a mandatory question is not applicable to your study, enter “N/A”. |
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7) Once the application has been completed, click SUBMIT for REVIEW. |
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Additional notes: 1) For Faculty who will be submitting their own ethics applications AND supervising students who will be submitting applications, don't forget to request BOTH an REB - Human Research Principal/Co-Investigator role AND a REB Faculty - Supervisor role in ARISE. 2) If you are migrating your approved study into ARISE because you need to amend the approved study AND your expiration date is occurring within the next 60-90 days, you can upload BOTH an amendment and renewal request when you first enter your application into the ARISE system. |
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