EDCTP-AUREC

PROJECT SUMMARY

Background:

Africa University (AU) Institutional Review Board (IRB) was established with the support from the EDCTP grant. The main objective of the project was to establish a new Institutional Review Board at AU that is competent and independent. There was no IRB at AU, and none in the whole province.  All reviews and oversight of eligible research projects conducted by staff and students was done by the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe (MRCZ), which is the national ethics committee (NEC) and based in Harare, 260km from AU. With the progressive increase in number of faculty, students and programs at AU and research projects generated it became necessary to establish an IRB at Africa University. The national ethics committee, Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe, provided guidance and support to our IRB, and mentored our secretariat and IRB members. The mentoring included the Africa University IRB administrator spending a period of two weeks attached to and working in the MRCZ offices to learn and receive hands-on mentoring from the experienced MRCZ staff. During the life of this project, each of the newly appointed members of the Africa University IRB attended at least two council meetings of the MRCZ as a way of building capacity. The MRCZ also offered formal training in Health Research Ethics to members of the Africa University IRB.

Some major achievements

• Africa University Research Ethics Committee (AUREC) established through funding from EDCTP
• Equipment and books bought to set up the AUREC Office  ( Heavy duty printer, laptops and Ethics books)
• AUREC accredited by Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe (MRCZ) to review student proposals and non-clinical research proposals in 2013
• AUREC Secretariat attached to MRCZ for 2 weeks to learn the reviewing processes and documentation of approval processes.
• Africa University reviewers received training from MRCZ
• AUREC now fully functional and independently reviewing all institution’s research proposals
• Developed a strategic plan to guide the IRB