About Research Ethics

Does Your Research Study Require Aurora College Research Ethics Committee (REC) Review?

You may be required to seek approval from the Aurora College Research Ethics Committee (REC) for your funded and unfunded research study involving human participants (living or deceased individuals, their data, and their biological or reproductive materials), if:

1. You are a faculty, staff, or student of Aurora College, or an investigator collaborating with Aurora College staff and/ or using Aurora College’s resources to conduct your research study. Aurora College is eligible to hold research funds granted by the Tri-Council Funding Agencies.
2. If your research involves accessing health information of NWT residents as per the Health Information Act of the Northwest Territories (HIA, Sections 67-83). At the discretion of the NWT Department of Health and Social Services, you may be required to seek ethics approval form the Aurora College REC.
3. External non-Aurora College affiliated researchers, who do not have access to ethics review by a Tri-Council-compliant Research Ethics Board (REB) within their own organization and need ethics review as part of the Aurora Research Institute’s research licensing process can apply to seek ethics approval from the Aurora College REC.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Sunila Kalkar
Manager, Research Ethics & Regional Programs
Aurora College
50 Conibear Cres
Fort Smith, NT
867-872-7084
SKalkar@auroracollege.nt.ca

Research Licensing

The process for acquiring a research license is separate from the research ethics review process. Applicants are not required to submit a research license to the REC. The Research Licensing Coordinator can advise on all research license requirements, including requirement of research ethics approval. If you are uncertain whether your study requires a research ethics review from the Aurora College REC, please contact the Scientific Services Office at the Aurora Research Institute by email at license@nwtresearch.com or the Aurora College Research Ethics Office by email at chairrec@auroracollege.nt.ca.

Meeting Schedule 2021/22 Academic Year

The Aurora College Research Ethics Committee (REC) meets once a month from September to June to review and vote on research protocols. The REC takes an annual summer recess during July and August. Meetings are scheduled for second Wednesday of the month from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Mountain Time.

Please note that meeting dates are subject to change and the study investigator should contact the Research Ethics Office for further information.

Summer recess: The Aurora College REC takes an annual summer recess. No review activity will take place during July and August. PIs planning summer research must submit well before summer recess to ensure that all revisions are complete and ethics approval is granted before committee members leave for summer.