Romeo Research Ethics Application Update

The Research Ethics Board (REB) has initiated a project to update the Romeo ethics application form in late summer 2023.

In an effort to streamline the ethics review process for researchers and reviewers, the REB has designed this new ethics application to include questions that represent our current understanding of human research ethics and to align with the recently updated TCPS 2: 2022. The questions in the newly designed form are intended to be more specific with the option to provide additional information as necessary, which will lead to a more accelerated review process. 

Process Changes

• The new application form will look similar in design to the previous application form, but many questions, forms and tabs have been updated. As the previous application form was launched in 2013, the updated questions are more consistent with the TCPS 2: 2022 version and will allow for a more efficient review process.
• You will not be able to directly clone an old application to use after the launch of the new application form as many questions have changed. However, you can still view your old application forms and can manually copy over applicable answers if needed.

Timeline

• July 14 to 31, 2023: Romeo system shut down.
• July 14, 2023: Submit current applications in progress using the present form.
• Aug. 1, 2023: New application form launch.

We look forward to working closely with the research community to successfully roll out this new ethics application form. Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation.
Any questions about the process should be directed to REB@wlu.ca.

During the Shutdown

The shut-down will allow the REB to review existing applications within the system. Researchers will not be able to submit new applications during this time.

Submit Current Applications by July 14, 2023

Submit any in progress applications using the current application template by July 14, 2023:

• Any applications not submitted by this date will be deleted.
• The description of the application form will be different in your portal. Applications that use the old form will be designated as “DO NOT USE.”

Not Ready to Submit by July 14? 

If you have a draft of an application in progress but are not ready to submit it by the July 14, 2023 deadline, you can save the data contained in the application as a Word document or PDF: 

1. Log in to ROMEO.
2. Navigate to Applications: Drafts.
3. Click View next to the project you want to save.
4. Click either Export to Word or Export to PDF.
5. A new window will open when you click Export to PDF.
6. Select the Download icon in the top-right of the new window to ensure your document is downloaded. 

Student Processes

Principal Investigator (PI)

Once the new application is launched, only full-time faculty, contract teaching faculty who are on an active teaching contract, or staff will be able to act as Principal Investigator on ethics applications. This change will ensure that we are compliant with the TCPS 2 Definition of Principal Investigator, and will remove the requirement for students to attach proof of their supervisor's sign off with every application.

Students will be listed as Lead Student Investigators.

If a Romeo application is submitted with a student listed as the PI, the application will be returned for revisions.

Preparing and Editing Ethics Application

Students can still prepare an ethics application as all individuals added to a Romeo application can edit the application. While you can start and edit all sections of an application, you will not be able to be listed as a PI when it comes to the final submission to the REB.

If a you generate a new Romeo application, you will be defaulted to the PI. You can draft the application but will need to change the PI to your supervisor for their review and approval before submitting to the REB. To change the PI to your supervisor:

1. Navigate to the Project Team Info tab of your application.
2. Click Change PI in the top left corner of the tab.
3. Search for a full time or contract teaching faculty member or staff member.
4. Click Select next to their name.

Alternatively, a supervisor can generate the application in ROMEO and add the student as a student co-investigator or principal student investigator so that the student can fill out the remainder of the application. The final approved version must be reviewed, approved, and submitted by the PI (supervisor) in order to be reviewed by the REB. This new process will also remove the requirement of students having to submit a screenshot of their supervisor’s approval with every new application.

Access to Previous Applications

All previously approved applications will be available for viewing as well as submitting modifications and progress reports/adverse events. Any application drafts that are not submitted by July 14, 2023 will be deleted from the system.