Animal care, biosafety, and human ethics in research

At the University of Manitoba, research and scientific inquiry are highly valued pursuits. However, the mitigation of risks and the protection of human and animal populations, and vulnerable environments, are equally valued. To balance these two values, the University has developed ethics committees for the various disciplines across campus. These committees or Research Ethics Boards (REB’s) vet research proposal and give special attention to whether the research adheres to ethical principles, duty of care, and the mitigation of risks and harm to human and animal research populations. In doing so, University provides the researcher with a sounding board and a means to verify s/he has thoughtfully identified and aptly resolved ethical issues.

• If your research involves animals, fish, or invertebrates, visit the University of Manitoba's Office of Research Services Animal Care website to become aware of your animal care responsibilities as a graduate student. This site contains information on animal user training courses/seminars and wet labs, animal use protocol and course registration forms, and compliance guidelines.
• If your research involves bacteria, viruses, plasmids, recombinant DNA, animal tissues, radioactive materials, or other biohazards, visit the U of M Biosafety Program website. Here you will find information on biosafety training sessions (dates and registration), and resources such as the U of M Biosafety Guide.
• If your research involves human subjects, human tissue, human stem cells, or data collected on human subjects, visit the U of M Human Ethics website to familiarize yourself with the various Research Ethics Boards (REBs) and procedures for obtaining REB approval prior to commencing your research. This website also contains the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS) and an on-line TCPS tutorial. The University of Manitoba's policy involving Human subjects can be found here.

The fact that ethical issues exist in a research processes does not necessarily mean that innovative, controversial, and sometimes high-risk studies ought not be undertaken.  However, when ethical questions arise, there is an obligation placed upon the researcher, and the University, to address them and wherever possible to reduce or eliminate the possibility for harm or other negative outcomes.