Ethics Review Committee

Overview

The Research Ethics Review Committee (RERC) of the Metropolitan Research and education Bureau (MREB), Accra, Ghana applications in the behavioral and biomedical sciences submitted to it by students, researchers and faculty of tertiary and research institutions globally.

The pursuit of scholarly work and research will often involve the use of human participants for data collection and analysis. The RERC, therefore, reviews human participants’ research proposals to ensure that:

• the rights and welfare of human participants used in research studies are protected;
• risks have been considered and minimized;
• the potential for benefit has been identified and maximized;
• all human participants only volunteer to participate in research after being provided with legally effective informed consent
• research is conducted in an ethical manner and in compliance with established standards.
• individuals seeking to conduct such research may not solicit participant participation or begin data collection until they have obtained ethical clearance from RERC.
• the RERC is authorized to review, approve, require modifications, or disapprove research activities conducted by researchers using human participants.
• the RERC will evaluate the science and ethics of the proposed study 

The primary goal of the RERC is to protect the rights and welfare of human participants in research studies. To achieve its objective, the RERC:

1. Offers guidance to investigators in the design and content of their research protocol.
2. Reviews all planned research involving human participants prior to initiation of the research in order to minimize potential harm to human participants.
3. Approves research that meets established criteria for protection of human participants.
4. Monitors approved research to ascertain that human participants are adequately protected.

The RERC has applied for registration with the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP)

It is an independent and competent body set up to review, evaluate and decide on the scientific and ethical merits of research protocols. The RERC follows Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) with clearly spelled out terms of reference, membership, meetings, and criteria for protocol reviews. The committee meets on the last Tuesday of every month of the year to review protocols. A number of expedited reviews occur as and when necessary. Submission to the Committee should be made three (3) weeks before the meeting at which the submissions would be reviewed

Role of the RERC

Guided by the principles set forth in the Belmont Report, Council for International Organization of Medical Sciences (CIOMS), the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki, Nuremberg Code and other internationally recognized principles of human rights, the RERC assures that:

• Risks to participants are minimized and are reasonable in relation to the anticipated benefits
• Selection of participants is equitable
• Informed consent is obtained from each prospective participant or the participants’ legal guardian or healthcare decision-maker
• Informed consent is appropriately documented.
• Provisions are made for the protection of the privacy of participants and that confidentiality of data is maintained
• Provisions are made for monitoring the data collected to ensure the safety of participants.
• Safeguards are included to protect members of vulnerable population groups
• To act in the full interest of actual or potential research participants and communities.

The RERC conducts a review of all types of research proposals involving human subjects with a view to safeguard the safety, rights, and well-being of all study participants. The goals of research, however important, should never be permitted to override the health and well-being of the research subjects. In connection with this, the RERC examines the aspects of the informed consent process and risk-benefit ratio. It reviews the proposals before the commencement of the study as well as monitor the research throughout the duration of the study through regular progress reports until completion. The committee also examines compliance with all regulatory requirements, applicable guidelines and laws. All proposals submitted are subjected to the same ethical and review standard.

Composition of the RERC

The RERC is multidisciplinary and multi-sectorial in composition, including persons with relevant but diverse scientific expertise, balanced age and gender distribution, who have the qualifications and experience to review and evaluate scientific ethics of research protocol. RERC has thirteen (13) members from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds. The committee has Chair, Vice-Chair and the Secretary.

The RERC office is managed by an administrator and support staff who: 

• Conduct administrative review of new submissions
• Manage application workflow
• Manage communications between the research team and the RERC

Accreditation

The Metropolitan Research and Educations Bureaus’s RERC is accredited and registered with the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with IORG: 0011589 and IRB: 00013739.

Meeting Dates and Deadlines for Protocol Submission for 2023

Please download, application forms and other guidelines from the templates below:

• Initial protocol submission guideline and check list
  • Ethics Approval Application Forms (RERC-FORM 1)
  •  Informed Consent Template
  •  Protocol/proposal Outline Guidelines
  •  Parental Informed Consent Template
  •  PI Statement to Comply with Ethical Principles Template
  •  RERC Process: A Guide for Student Researchers
  •  RERC Charges

Questions?

Research Ethics Review Committee (RERC

No. 5 Giiffard Road
International Trade Fair Site
La-Accra, Ghana

Phone: +233 20569 6272

Info.mreb@gmail.com