On November 22 the following email was shared with graduate students
To: Graduate students
From: Charmaine B. Dean, Vice-President, Research and International
Subject: New Processes for approvals of human participant research
Based on the province’s most recent reopening plans and management of COVID-19 for the long term, the University of Waterloo is further adjusting our review and approval of human participant research activity.
- All human participant research, both on-and off-campus, will be handled by the Principal Investigators and Faculties.
- On and off-campus human participant research safety plans will transition to a simplified plan.
- Faculty Safety Leads will continue to play a critical role.
These changes bring the institution close to pre-pandemic approval structures.
Departments/Faculties will have oversight of the monitoring of resume research processes including:
- On- and off-campus human participant research
- On-campus laboratory research work
- Domestic visitors to campus (research activities)
- Domestic field work travel
- Inbound international research visitors to Waterloo campus
- Requests to return to Waterloo campus to use office space
You can find the following process for approving human-participant research under the accountabilities section of the COVID-19 information website.
Process for approving on- and off-campus human participant research
- PI downloads and completes the human participant safety plan from Safety Office website under “Tools.”
- PI orients research team to the plan and all team members acknowledge plan with a signature.
- PI seeks Unit Head signature.
- PI provides a signed copy to Faculty or Departmental Safety Officer for ongoing monitoring and oversight of safety protocols.
- PI posts safety plan in laboratory for on-campus studies or electronically in shared drive for off-campus studies.
Ethics application submission is no longer conditional on approved resume request and safety plan Human participant research (on and off campus) participant research (on and off campus).