Standard Operating Procedures (Introduction)

The University of the Philippines Manila Research Ethics Board (UPMREB) was created on September 27, 2010 to integrate all existing ethics committees in UP Manila under a single research ethics board with component review panels, and guided by a unified set of standard operating procedures (SOPs). This initiative was intended to streamline and harmonize the process of ethics review, maximize the utilization of human and institutional resources, and provide a supportive and enabling environment for research in the university. Its oversight applies to faculty, personnel, and students doing research in UP Manila; non-UP Manila researchers doing research in UP Manila; and non-UP Manila researchers doing research in non-UP Manila sites with no local ethics review committee (as mandated by the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board).

Prior to the establishment of the UPMREB, the different component panels already had existing standard operating procedures (SOPs), now superseded, which were used as the basis for the content of this current integrated manual. One important contribution of this integration is the opportunity to closely review the old SOPs towards a more practicable set of procedures guiding UPMREB work. The SOPs provided hereunder are formatted to include the objective, scope, responsibilities, workflow, and detailed instructions. Supplementary pages, such as the list of acronyms, list of forms, glossary, and references, are also provided to help users implement these procedures.

This document will be periodically reviewed and revised to address new issues that may arise over time and updated as new applicable regulations and guidelines are published. The UPMREB encourages feedback and would welcome questions or feedback from various research stakeholders and users of this manual. Users interested in providing input or interacting with UPMREB may contact upmreb@post.upm.edu.ph.

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