RESEARCH GOVERNANCE

Overview

Investigators planning to conduct research either taking place within or in conjunction with PHCC, its staff or service users must seek prior approval from PHCC’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). This includes and applies to:

1. all research activity within PHCC involving one or more of the following:
   1. service user data or specimen (such as tissue, organs etc.), even if obtained for clinical purposes and/or used for research purposes elsewhere, or obtained from elsewhere but used for research purposes involving PHCC.
   2. service users and their carers, volunteers or staff
2. all research activity undertaken by PHCC in an external organisation without an IRB involving:
   1. the organisation’s service users, and their carers, volunteers or staff
   2. the organisation’s service user data or specimen (such as tissue, organs etc.), even if obtained for clinical purposes and/or used for research purposes elsewhere.
3. all research activity outside PHCC in organisations with arrangement to rely on PHCC IRB for ethics review.

Process

Research applications are reviewed by PHCC’s IRB to formally assess and monitor if the research meets ethical principles for human participant research established by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).

PHCC’s Research Sub-Committee, in parallel with PHCCs IRB review, evaluates scientific merit and feasibility of research applications.

Timelines to review research application depend on the type of submission and risk of research.

Funding

PHCC’s Research Budget Working Group (RBWG) reviews and monitors research budget requests from PHCC staff to support limited, qualified, self-initiated research proposals. The RBWG reviews budget requests based on the organisation’s priorities, scientific merit and cost justifications of proposals. Approvals are also subject to availability of funds.