Research Ethics Application Process
Unity Health eREB
All submissions to the Unity Health REB should be made through the Unity Health eREB platform - https://axiommentor.ca/login/axlogin.cfm?i=unityhealth
Please review the eREB System Access Guide for full details on accessing the eREB, including creating an account, logging in and changing your email address or name.
Once you have logged into the eREB, you will have access to several documents and guides to help you navigate the system and submit an application to the REB.
REB Meeting Dates and Application Deadlines
Delegated Review Applications
Delegated applications are accepted on a rolling basis and are not subject to a submission deadline.
Full Board Review Applications
If you are aiming to have your study reviewed at a specific meeting, please note the key deadlines.
Applications must be submitted for screening by 12 pm on the submission deadline date (15 days before the meeting).
Applications will be screened for completeness and accuracy; those found to be incomplete will receive a screening letter. Screening responses must be submitted by 12 pm on the resubmission deadline date (13 days before the meeting).
If the response is incomplete, additional questions will be sent, and your study will be considered for a future meeting once it is complete.
Considerations:
If you submit your application on the submission deadline, you will have less than two days to submit a screening response. Consider submitting early to give yourself more time to respond.
Applications are added to the agenda in the order they pass screening. If the agenda is full, the application will be scheduled for the next available meeting.
| REB Meeting Dates (2026) | APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE (12 pm) |
|---|---|
December 17, 2025 | December 4, 2025 |
January 07, 2026 | December 18, 2025**Note the earlier than usual submission date due to the holidays Screening responses, if requested, due by December 22, 2025 |
January 28 | January 13Screening responses, if requested, due by January 15 |
February 11 | January 27Screening responses, if requested, due by January 29 |
February 25 | February 10Screening responses, if requested, due by February 12 |
March 11 | February 24Screening responses, if requested, due by February 26 |
March 25 | March 10Screening responses, if requested, due by March 12 |
April 15 | March 30**Note the earlier than usual submission date due to Good Friday Screening responses, if requested, due by April 01 |
April 29 | April 14Screening responses, if requested, due by April 16 |
May 13 | April 28Screening responses, if requested, due by April 30 |
June 03 | May 19Screening responses, if requested, due by May 21 |
June 17 | June 02Screening responses, if requested, due by June 04 |
July 08 | June 23Screening responses, if requested, due by June 25 |
July 22 | July 07Screening responses, if requested, due by July 09 |
August 05 | July 21Screening responses, if requested, due by July 23 |
August 19 | August 04Screening responses, if requested, due by August 06 |
September 09 | August 25Screening responses, if requested, due by August 27 |
September 23 | September 08Screening responses, if requested, due by September 10 |
October 07 | September 22Screening responses, if requested, due by September 24 |
October 21 | October 06Screening responses, if requested, due by October 08 |
November 04 | October 20Screening responses, if requested, due by October 22 |
November 18 | November 03Screening responses, if requested, due by November 05 |
December 02 | November 17Screening responses, if requested, due by November 19 |
December 16 | December 01Screening responses, if requested, due by December 03 |
Submission Types - Initial Applications
Initial applications are required for any new study being conducted at or under the auspices of Unity Health. There are several types of initial applications.
Full Board Application
Studies that involve more than minimal risk to participants are reviewed by the entire Research Ethics Board (REB) and must be submitted through the full board application process.
Delegated Prospective Application
Studies that collect data prospectively and are deemed to be of minimal risk over standard procedures are considered ‘delegated prospective’ studies. These studies are reviewed by a subset of the Board and are submitted to the Research Ethics Board (REB) through the delegated prospective application process.
Delegated Retrospective Application
Studies that will only be accessing retrospective data (data that already exists at the time of application) and not collecting any information prospectively are considered ‘delegated retrospective’ studies and can be submitted to the Research Ethics Board (REB) using the delegated retrospective application process. These studies will be reviewed by a subset of the Board.
Administrative Review
Studies that do not include any research activities or data collection at Unity Health may qualify for an administrative review. These studies will be reviewed by a subset of the Board. Studies that qualify for administrative review may include studies conducted at another institution seeking Unity REB approval to post a recruitment poster at Unity Health or to create a cost centre at Unity Health.
Case Report Review
Case reports involving 5 or fewer patients qualify for review via the case report review pathway.
Submission Types - Post-Approval Submissions
Post-approval submissions are required for updates, new information, and changes to, or the renewal of, any approved study being conducted at or under the auspices of Unity Health. There are several types of post-approval submissions.
Study Amendment
Any changes to study documents or research processes approved by the Research Ethics Board (REB) must be submitted as an amendment and approved by the REB prior to implementation.
Research Staff Change
Any changes to Unity Health study staff should be submitted to the REB as a staff change. In the eREB, staff changes are a specific type of amendment.
Continuing Review / Annual Renewal
Studies are granted Research Ethics Board (REB) approval for a maximum of 1 year and must be renewed to continue. To extend REB approval for a further one-year period, a continuing review request must be submitted to the research ethics office. It is the principal investigator's responsibility to ensure that a complete continuing review form is submitted to the REB prior to the study's expiration date.
Serious Adverse Event / Unanticipated Problem
A serious, unexpected and related or possibly related adverse event (SAE) is an event that has occurred to a research participant in a study under the jurisdiction of the Unity Health Toronto Research Ethics Board (REB).
An unanticipated problem (UP) is any incident, experience, or outcome that meets all the following criteria: unexpected in relation to the research and/or patient population and related or possibly related to participation in the research and points to increased risk/harm to the research participant.
See guidelines and reporting deadlines.
Updated Safety Information
All updated safety information must be reported to the Research Ethics Board (REB). Safety information includes Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) summaries, periodic safety update reports (PSURs), and safety alerts (e.g., black box warnings, drug recalls).
See guidelines and reporting deadlines.
Protocol Deviation
An unanticipated or unintentional divergence or departure from the expected conduct of an approved study that is not consistent with the current approved research protocol, consent document or study addenda.
See guidelines and reporting deadlines.
Study Closure
A closed study is defined as one in which, for all Unity sites, all participant involvement is complete, all data collection, clarification, and transfer are complete, and all access to participant records is complete.
The clinicaltrials.gov registration must also be updated and summary results posted within the required timelines.
Reporting Guidelines and Deadlines - Adverse Events, Deviations and Safety Reports
Serious Adverse Event / Unanticipated Problem
All internal serious adverse events or unanticipated problems must be reported to the REB within 7 days of the study team’s awareness of the event/report or within 3 days if fatal or life threatening.
External serious adverse events or unanticipated problems that are reportable to the Unity REB must be reported to the REB within 15 days of the study team’s awareness of the event/report.
Not sure if you need to submit a report to the REB? Use the Quick Reference Tool for Reporting SAEs / UPs.
For more details, read the Guidelines for Reporting Serious Adverse Events /Unanticipated Problems.
Updated Safety Information
All updated safety information must be reported to the REB within 15 days of the study team’s awareness of the event/report.
Protocol Deviation
All protocol deviations must be reported to the Research Ethics Board (REB) within 15 days of the study team’s awareness of the event.
For more details, read the Guidelines for Reporting Protocol Deviations.
Frequently Asked Questions about REB Submissions
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