Responsible Conduct of Research

Canada’s research granting agencies—Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)—are committed to fostering and maintaining an environment that supports and promotes the responsible conduct of research.

In 2021, the Agencies officially launched the new Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research. This new Framework is an umbrella document that describes Agency policies and requirements related to applying for and managing Agency funds, performing research and disseminating results. It also outlines the process that institutions and Agencies follow in the event of an allegation of a breach of Agency policy.

The 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). Researchers are invited to review Section 2 of the new Framework for information on their roles and responsibilities.

The Agencies have also established a new Panel on Responsible Conduct of Research that will ensure a coherent and uniform approach to promoting the responsible conduct of research and addressing allegations of breaches of Agency policies. The Panel will be responsible for governing and implementing the new Framework, with support from the Secretariat on Responsible Conduct of Research (previously the Secretariat on Research Ethics).

For more information about the new Framework, including a message from the Tri-Agency Presidents and some highlights of the new Framework, please visit the Panel on Responsible Conduct of Research Web site or contact secretariat@rcr.ethics.gc.ca.