Guidance for VIU Researchers Interested in Conducting Clinical Research
Researchers conducting clinical studies at VIU must comply with the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS 2, 2022), including subjecting all studies to ethics review and registering trials in Health Canada’s Clinical Trials Database.
Vancouver Island University’s REB does not review medical research that meets the TCPS 2 (2022) definition of a clinical study. Vancouver Island University and Island Health have signed a Master Clinical Research Ethics Board Institutional Authorization Agreement that enables the Island Health Clinical Research Ethics Board to review medical research on behalf of VIU.
For more information on how to submit an ethics application for medical research, please contact the VIU’s Research Ethics Office.
VIU does not act as the Sponsor for clinical trials. VIU researchers planning to conduct clinical trials must partner with researchers at a university or a life sciences company with a clinical trial quality management system that enables compliance with Sponsor-specific requirements. In both circumstances, VIU requires a research agreement to be established between VIU and the partner. The research agreement will stipulate requirements to ensure that the trial Sponsor has appropriate Quality Management Systems (QMS) in place. Researchers should inform the Research Contracts Specialist of the need to initiate a research agreement with the academic or industry partner. This can only be achieved if a project has been previously submitted to VIU for review and has been approved.
Find more information about Clinical Trials or Studies Involving a Drug, Medical Device, or Natural Health Product, Health Canada Review, and Resources to Support BC Researchers.