The Research Approvals Processes Project (RAPP) is a provincially-led initiative that supports research within the health system in British Columbia. Health Research BC is helping communicate the ongoing actions and activities through these web postings. 

Background

The Research Approvals Processes Project is a joint Ministry of Health/Health Authority initiative to standardize and coordinate research approvals for multi-site research studies. The project seeks to improve the timeliness of health research in British Columbia, to increase British Columbia’s competitiveness as an environment to conduct research leading to improvements in care quality, patient opportunity to participate in research, retention of skilled personnel, and economic growth in the province.

The Research Approvals Processes Project represents a commitment to supporting research within the health system in British Columbia. This initiative is one part of enabling infrastructure to mobilize and conduct high quality research, including clinical trials, for the benefit of British Columbians and the province. Research processes in scope for this project include operational approval, ethics reviews, contracts and agreements, data access, and privacy reviews.

The initiative seeks to address the challenges researchers in British Columbia face as they navigate research approval processes, which currently vary across health authorities. The aim is to reduce duplication, delays and ambiguity, and increase transparency for researchers and health organization administrators while maintaining appropriate protections for research participants in British Columbia.

The initiative is building on the successful ethics harmonization work that has been developed over time, and the deep knowledge and commitment of research approval administrators within health organizations. Engagement with partners from the health authorities and research universities is ongoing and essential to inform, shape and validate the shifts that will be made.

For Summer-Spring of 2024-2025, six workstreams are underway:

• Research Ethics Review: Provincial Health Authority Research Ethics Board Service implementation plan development in partnership with Michael Smith Health Research BC.
• Operational Approval: Standardization of commonly used forms and review of operational approval processes.
• Privacy: Examination of the scope and development of use cases to assist in development of a new provincial Privacy Review Policy.
• Data: Leveraging the standardized data access processes to the Health Data Platform BC through the Health Data Council.
• Contracts and Agreements: Collation and analysis of high-yield terms and conditions to standardize where feasible.
• Front Counter: Consultation and service design development.

Watch this space for updates from the Research Approvals Processes Project team as these workstreams continue to advance.

Project updates

2024

• November update
• July update
• June update
• April update
• March update
• February update

2023

• December update
• September update
• August update
• July update
• June update