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HSRC Annual Report 2016/17
Members of the REC and HSRC researchers are encouraged to participate in relevant training opportunities to ensure
basic awareness and continuous professional development in the field of research ethics. All members of the REC have
submitted certificates of successful completion of required modules of the online Training and Resources in Research
Ethics Evaluation (TRREE) Training Programme. Applications for ethics reviewmust be accompanied by proof of successful
completion (by at least the principal investigator) of the South African module of the TRREE Programme. During the year
under review, a competitive SARETI Master’s Scholarship in Health Research Ethics was awarded to the administrator of
the REC, Ms Khutšo Sithole. She embarked on her master’s degree studies while still providing full support to the REC,
assisted by a newly-appointed master’s research intern, Ms Nkateko Sowane. Apart from the above-mentioned TRREE
training, no additional formal workshops dealing with research ethics were offered to RECmembers or HSRC staff during
2016/17. This is expected to receive more attention in 2017/18, when a new termof office for RECmembers will commence.
Research integrity
The HSRC remains committed to improving and implementing research ethics and research integrity policies and
procedures. The HSRC Board approved a formal policy on research integrity in 2011. The approved HSRC policy is
complemented by the “Statement on dealing with allegations of research misconduct under United States Public
Health Service research related activities for foreign institutions”. Two persons, Dr Christa van Zyl and Dr Njeri Wabiri,
were appointed to serve as HSRC research integrity officers (RIOs), as of February 2016. They work closely with the
DCEO: Research and the chairperson of the REC, and benefit from collaboration with research programmes and various
support units in the HSRC.
The following responsibilities are entrusted to the RIOs of the HSRC:
•
Promoting the responsible conduct of research through awareness raising and capacity building activities, in
collaboration with relevant resource persons, as well as research and support units in the HSRC;
•
Ensuring that there are procedures and systems in place to receive, appropriately assess, and correctly refer allegations
of research misconduct;
•
Taking responsibility for record-keeping and reporting of possible cases of researchmisconduct, as may be required by
the HSRC, as well as local and international funders, including the USA Department of Health and Human Services; and
•
Ensuring that confidential information made available to the RIO is treated with discretion and in accordance with
principles outlined in the policy on research integrity.
During the year under review, no allegations of potential misconduct by HSRC staff members were received. In terms of
compliance requirements, the HSRCmet all the requirements as set by the Office of Research Integrity in the United States
of America, for research funded by their DHHS. Networking relations with RIOs at three higher education institutions in
South Africa were maintained, and the HSRC RIOs were invited to join an informal African network of research integrity,
established in 2015. Training and awareness raising to promote responsible conduct of research continued. Informal
enquiries from persons who had experienced problems with individuals or issues falling outside the jurisdiction of
the HSRC and its RIOs were received, and advice offered. The following five workshops, reaching all HSRC offices via
videoconference facilities, were hosted in collaboration with experts within and outside the HSRC:
•
Workshop on authorship issues and plagiarism, 12 July 2016;
•
Workshop on fabrication and falsification in research, 17 November 2016;
•
Workshop on authorship issues and plagiarism (repeat) – with some changes in terms of presenters and case
studies, 6 December 2016;
•
Interactive session providing “perspectives on research misconduct”, at the Annual Anti-Corruption event hosted
by the ERM Unit, 9 December 2016; and
•
Workshop dealing with FCOI in research, which included an expert contribution by the financial manager of the
Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa, 24 February 2017.