On July 14, 2014, IPinCH co-hosted a half-day workshop with the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Office of Research Ethics (ORE) at the Halpern Centre on SFU’s Burnaby campus. The purpose of this event was to foster understanding across SFU offices about policies and procedures for community-based research.
The workshop was co-organized by Kelly Bannister (IPinCH Steering Committee), Brian Egan (IPinCH), Holly Longstaff (SFU ORE) and Sarah Bennett (SFU ORE).
In attendance were twelve participants from key SFU offices including ORE, the Office of Research Services, SFU Risk Management Safety and Risk Services, Research Commons, and the Innovation Office. IPinCH Steering Committee members John Welch and George Nicholas were also present.
SFU President Andrew Petter opened by expressing appreciation for the workshop in relation to SFU's commitment as a "community-engaged university."
Participants worked together to identify pressure points and obstacles from researcher and policy and procedures perspectives and develop strategies for overcoming these issues. They also created a document that illustrates the policy landscape relevant to community-based research at SFU and discussed next steps for this collaborative effort. It is our hope that this initial workshop will lead to subsequent engagement with the wider SFU community and beyond in order to foster ethically informed community-based research projects that truly benefit communities.
