Funding and Ethics Approval

Grant administration at the University of Alberta operates through the coordination of systems between the Research Administrative Services (RAS) and Research Ethics Office (REO). Here are the key points:

• RAS assists researchers in obtaining funding and provides guidance for financial management of awards.
• REO ensures that research projects, whether funded or unfunded, meet ethical standards and comply with institutional, provincial, federal, and international guidelines.

Tri-Agency Agreement

Research management policies for all funded research projects at the University of Alberta flow from the Tri-Agency Agreement on the Administration of Agency Grants and Awards by Research Institutions. According to this agreement:

• Grant funds can be accessed only after the research project is approved by the institution's research ethics board (REB or ACUC) or a designated board.
• Funds are available to recipients only if ethics approval is maintained throughout the duration of the project.

Alberta Research Information Services (ARISE)

The research ethics applications are created and submitted electronically through the Alberta Research Information Services (ARISE) system. The data from ARISE serves the following purposes:

• It feeds into other campus units for necessary approvals.
• It is used by RAS, which manages funded research through the Grants 3.0 system.
• The Research Administrative Services verifies the appropriate certification approvals (e.g., human, animal, biohazards, and stem cells) before releasing funding, ensuring compliance with ethics requirements.

Additionally, researchers who require ACUC or REB approval but are not yet ready to submit a fully detailed ethics application may apply for a Release of Funds.