Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research

MEMORANDUM

TO: PDADC

FROM: Professor Paul Young, Vice-President, Research

RE: Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research
________________________________________

On December 5, 2011, the Tri-Council officially launched the new Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research. This new Framework is an umbrella document that describes Tri-Council policies and requirements related to applying for and managing Tri-Council funds, performing research and disseminating results. It also outlines the process that institutions and Tri-Council follow in the event of an allegation of a breach of Tri-Council policy.

This new Framework replaces the previous integrity policy and related documents, including the Tri-Agency Policy Statement: Integrity in Research and Scholarship (TCPS-I, 1994), the Framework for Tri-Council Review of Institutional Policies Dealing with Integrity in Research (1996) and the Tri-Agency Process for Addressing Allegations of Non-compliance with Tri-Agency Policies (2010).

It is important to note that:

1. Effective December 5, applicants, grantees and awards holders are required to comply with the new Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research and all the policies contained within it.

2. To ensure full accountability and transparency for the proper use of public funds in supporting research, the Tri-Council now requires all researchers applying for funding to provide a Consent to Disclosure of Personal Information, allowing the Tri-Council (subject to applicable laws, including the Privacy Act, and in cases of a serious breach of agency policy) to publicly disclose:
o the name of the researcher;
o the nature of the breach;
o the name of the institution where the researcher was employed at the time of the breach; and
o the name of the institution where the researcher is currently employed.

3. A Panel on Responsible Conduct of Research will be created by the Tri-Council and will be responsible for ensuring a coherent and uniform approach to promoting the responsible conduct of research and addressing allegations of breaches of Tri-Council policies. The Panel will be responsible for governing and implementing the new Framework, with support from the new Secretariat on Responsible Conduct of Research (previously the Secretariat on Research Ethics).

Integrity and accountability in research are essential values important to Canadians, given the significant investments made by the federal government in research, and the important contributions these activities make to our society. These values are also important to the University of Toronto as demonstrated in our commitment to the highest standards of excellence, transparency and accountability in research. Therefore, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the new framework. It can be found at http://www.rcr.ethics.gc.ca/eng/index/.