Health Research BC welcomes the new position paper, Strengthening Research Ethics in British Columbia: A Call for Leadership & Collective Action, authored by research and research ethics leaders across the province. We appreciate the significant effort and expertise that went into documenting the current state of BC’s research ethics system, and we are grateful for the reflection this paper offers.
A high-quality, sustainable, and responsive research ethics system is foundational to BC’s health research system.
Since provincial efforts began, Health Research BC has supported research ethics harmonization in several ways: early planning and consultation in 2007; funding for the BC Ethics Harmonization Initiative in 2011; and continued resourcing of a core team now based in Clinical Trials British Columbia, part of Health Research BC, that facilitates collaboration, shared learning and priority-setting across the 27 organizations involved in research ethics review.
Through Clinical Trials British Columbia, Health Research BC also supports efforts to strengthen research ethics as a foundational component of a coordinated clinical trials system in BC.
This ongoing support aligns with Health Research BC’s strategic focus on catalyzing solutions that strengthen the health research system. We remain committed to supporting dialogue, evidence-informed learning, and alignment among partners to advance a more effective and ethical health research environment.
Several related activities are in progress:
- Funding research talent and initiatives to Indigenize research ethics
- Supporting Indigenous communities and organizations that wish to participate in harmonized research ethics reviews
- Supporting the advancement of harmonized research ethics provincially and nationally through Clinical Trials British Columbia
- Evolving our funding practices and policies to support ethics harmonization
At the same time, research ethics extends beyond health research. It depends on shared accountability among the organizations that oversee, resource, and participate in research involving human participants. This includes post-secondary institutions, health authorities, government, Indigenous communities, collectives and organizations, and research institutes. Each plays an important role in upholding ethical research practices and requires the capacity, support, and resources to meet these responsibilities.
Health Research BC welcomes continued collaboration among partners to clarify roles, strengthen system alignment, and advance practical improvements, while recognizing the distinct mandates, accountabilities, and resource responsibilities of different organizations across BC’s broader research ecosystem.
A robust, coordinated, and sustainable research ethics system is essential to the long-term success of BC’s research enterprise. The province has an opportunity to take decisive action — building on its strengths and progress over the last 15 years — to modernize BC’s ethics infrastructure, services, and supports for a more resilient and sustainable research ethics system.
