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HSRC Annual Report 2016/17
The declared business interests are recorded in the register of interests, which is also employed in the development of
the related transactions report. Interests are declared at all HSRC engagements, such as interviews, bid adjudication,
bid evaluation, and management meetings.
Transactions with any related parties for the period under review are reported in note 28 to the Annual Financial Statements.
HSRC staff are encouraged to pledge their commitment to the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (Act
No. 12 of 2004); to commit themselves to serving the institution and its stakeholders with respect, dignity, and integrity;
and to consistently apply the values and principles outlined in the HSRC Code of Conduct.
In an effort to strengthen its contribution toward building an ethical South Africa, the HSRC has partnered with the Ethics
Institute of South Africa. This partnership puts an obligation on HSRC management to lead by example and to ensure
that their decisions are based on moral principles and are transparent and beyond reproach. In addition, it provides
every HSRC employee with an opportunity to pledge their commitment to prevent and combat corruption in their
area of responsibility. The ethical values and guiding principles for ethical conduct are available to all employees and
stakeholders through the HSRC website and intranet, and are displayed throughout the HSRC offices.
The HSRC is a multinational organisation operating in a culture-varied environment, and acknowledges the requirements
of being an ethical global organisation. This requirement is met by establishing policies in agreement with the different
cultures and races, and ensuring compliance with human rights legislation.
Research ethics and integrity
The HSRC is committed to undertaking high-quality research. It has systems and structures in place to promote responsible
research, and integrates principles of research ethics and research integrity into the way research is planned, reviewed,
conducted, and communicated.
Research ethics
The HSRC functions in accordance with a code of research ethics approved by the Board. The establishment of a Research
Ethics Committee (REC) was approved by the HSRC in 2002. The REC aims to promote a culture of ethical conduct in
the HSRC, and reports annually to the Board.
The REC was constituted in 2003 and is the only internal institutional ethics review committee of the HSRC. The REC is
registered with the National Health Research Ethics Council (NHREC) of the Department of Health. Toward the end of
2011/12, the NHREC audited all registered RECs. The outcome of the audit conducted on the HSRC REC was positive,
and it was granted a permanent registration number, REC-290808-015-RA (Level 01). In February 2017, the third formal
Annual Report was submitted to the NHREC, covering the 2016 calendar year.
In addition, the HSRC REC has a current Federal-wide Assurance (FWA) registration (registration number FWA 00006347)
from the United States Office for Human Research Protections. This registration confirms that the HSRC REC complies
with the regulations of the US-based Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) regarding the protection of
human participants in research. The HSRC REC requires this registration for the review of studies supported by US federal
funds, e.g. through the National Institutes of Health.
The mandate of the HSRC REC is to review all HSRC research proposals for compliance with national research ethics
guidelines (NHREC, 2015). Data collection may not commence until full ethics approval has been granted. The REC may
grant exemption from ethics review to research meeting certain criteria, for example systematic reviews and secondary
analysis of data that are freely available in the public domain.
The REC may recognise the authority of registered RECs at other institutions to avoid duplication of review. The HSRC
REC also reviews external proposals submitted by researchers not employed by or contracted to the HSRC if they do not
have access to the services of a more suitable or eligible REC in South Africa. The latter is done under specific conditions,
including payment of a predetermined administrative fee.