HA Head Office Steering Committee on Research Ethics (“HA REC”) is established to steer and oversee the development, execution and performance of research ethics governance in HA.
The HA Central Institutional Review Board (Central IRB) was established in April 2021 to provide a one-stop central research ethics review mechanism for coordinating multi-cluster clinical research. Under the robust revamp exercise on research ethics services, all cluster Research Ethics Committees (RECs) have been integrated into the Central IRB in 1Q 2024. This marks a milestone in streamlining the operation of research ethics in HA.
HA Clinical Research Ethics Review Portal (https://hacrerportal.ha.org.hk/) has been developed to facilitate e-submission of research ethics applications.