Trent University is committed to the highest standards of ethical practice in research. Central to this is the principle that research must be conducted in accordance with the highest contemporary ethics standards.
The Office of Research & Innovation manages the approval and monitoring process for the use of humans, animals, and biohazardous materials in research at the University. Any research project involving human participants, animals, or biohazardous materials, whether it is funded or not, must receive ethics approval from the appropriate University-sanctioned review board prior to the start of the project.
It is the responsibility of the principal investigator to ascertain whether a project requires an ethical review. Failure to seek ethical review and to comply with recommendations of the relevant ethics review board may be deemed as misconduct, as outlined in the Trent University Policy on Research and Scholarly Misconduct.
Contact Coordinator, research conduct and reporting
Protocol Submission Guide
Protocols are submitted using the ROMEO Researcher Portal system. New users must self register prior to logging in.
ROMEO can be accessed through MyTrent by selecting “Services”, "Learning and Research" and “ROMEO Researcher Portal".
ROMEO can also be accessed here.
Instructions for Completing a Human Ethics, Animal Care or Biosafety & Radiation Protocol
For more assistance, please consult this guide.
Should you require any assistance with the ROMEO system, please contact Anna Kisiala, Coordinator, Research Conduct and Reporting. If you wish to have a short demonstration of the system, please let Anna know and she can meet with you or a small group.
Human Participant Research
All University-based research involving human participants, whether funded or non-funded, faculty or student, scholarly, commercial, or consultative, is subject to review by the University’s Research Ethics Board.
Animal Care
The use of animals in research and teaching requires the highest ethical standards related to the practice. Trent University ensures that all researchers working with animals receive the proper training, guidance, and resources.
Bio-safety & Radiation Safety
Trent University recognizes that the use of potentially pathogenic organisms and potentially biohazardous material needs to take place in a safe and secure fashion while still advancing our scientific knowledge, and has several policies and programs in place in this regard.