Every UBC BREB ethics application must be renewed in RISe each year using the post approval activity (PAA) option Annual Renewal. Renewals are required for as long as you will continue to have contact with research participants. In the case of secondary data applications, you will need to renew as long as you are accessing the data.
A renewal should be submitted prior to the expiration date. The study’s expiration date will be indicated on the right side of the study home page next to "Study Expiry Date." If the study has expired, all research activity must cease until the application is renewed.
The PI and Primary Contact will receive an automated email notification from RISe 30 days and 14 days prior to the study expiration.
How to submit an annual renewal
- For step-by-step RISe submission instructions
- For a copy of the Annual Renewal PAA coversheet
- For our Annual Renewal PAA coversheet guidance notes
Can I still renew my application if it is more than 5 years old?
Social science and behavioural and humanities studies conducted over a long period of time (more than 5 years) often undergo shifts in focus. Because of this, the BREB requests that at the sixth and subsequent annual renewals, researchers take the opportunity to ensure their research conforms to their approved application.
If at this point your approved ethics application no longer matches the research you are conducting, we will ask you to submit a new application for ethics review.
If only minor changes are required and they are in line with the original application, an Amendment can be submitted to update the application. You can submit the amendment and the annual renewal at the same time. If no changes have occurred, you will need to complete Box 1.8 of the Annual Renewal PAA Coversheet to confirm that your study conforms to the approved procedures.
Once your application approaches the 10-year mark, the BREB may ask researchers to close out their existing application and submit a new application to cover only activities that are currently taking place, even if the approved application reflects the current procedures. Older applications can become harder to review because the distinction between past and current activities is obscured. Older applications may also start to exhibit glitches due to incompatibility with recent RISe system updates.