Research Training Requirements
Research training is mandated for anyone who conducts, or is involved in, human research activities at Unity Health Toronto.
April 2026 Update
Policy Change:
The Unity Health Toronto policy on Research Training and Education Requirements (intranet link) was revised in April 2026.
To better support researchers and align with other TAHSN hospitals, Unity now requires that:
GCP training be completed every 3 years (from 2 years) and
Division 5 training every 5 years (from 2 years).
Off-cycle training may also be required when the guidelines or regulations are revised.
Implementation:
Effective April 28, 2026, per the Unity Health Toronto Institutional Policy:
GCP certificates are valid for 3 years from the completion date, irrespective of the expiration date indicated on the certificate.
Health Canada Division 5 certificates are valid for 5 years from the completion date, irrespective of the expiration date indicated on the certificate.
Research personnel should not modify or attempt to edit training certificates. Instead, they should place this Note to File, along with the Training Certificates, in the Investigator Site File.
Expiry dates in the eREB:
The eREB collects training expiry in two ways: either downloaded directly from CITI or from the file information provided with training certificates uploaded by the research team.
CITI is unable to change the expiry dates of already completed training, so the CITI downloads will continue to show the old expiry periods.
To have your existing training expiry extended in the eREB, you will need to upload your CITI certificates to the eREB system. Please see this guide on uploading certificates to the eREB.
REO staff are not automatically notified when new training is uploaded in the eREB system; we appreciate your patience while updates are reviewed. Your uploaded training may not be verified until a relevant submission (renewal, staff change, etc.) has been received. The expired label will not prevent submission to the eREB system.
Research Training Requirements
Research training is mandated for anyone who conducts, or is involved in, human research activities at Unity Health Toronto.
Training in and implementation of accepted ethical and regulatory guidelines in human research helps ensure that studies are conducted according to the highest ethical, scientific and safety standards.
All individuals (e.g., investigators, coordinators, and any other personnel conducting research activities including students, trainees, fellows, etc.) involved in conducting human research activities at Unity Health Toronto (i.e., any involvement at a site, on behalf of a site, with site participants/ charts/ identifiable data, etc.) are required to complete mandatory research training depending on the type of research being conducted.
Research Training FAQ
Tri-Council Policy Statement 2 (TCPS2)
The Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS-2) is a Canadian guideline for the ethical conduct of research involving humans and/or human biological materials. Training in the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS-2) helps to ensure the ethical conduct of research involving humans.
Requirement:
All individuals (e.g. investigators, coordinators, and any other personnel conducting research activities, including students, trainees, fellows, etc.) involved in conducting human research activities at Unity Health Toronto (i.e., any involvement at a site, on behalf of a site, with site participants/charts/identifiable data, etc.) are required to complete Tri-Council Policy Statement 2 (TCPS2) training.
For researchers involved in human research who conduct only retrospective studies without participant contact, only TCPS2 training is required.
Frequency:
Needs to be completed only once per edition. This training must be renewed when a new TCPS edition is released.
Take the Course:
The online TCPS2 course is available on the Panel on Research Ethics website.
TCPS2 FAQ
Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
Good Clinical Practice (GCP) is an international ethical and scientific quality standard for the design, conduct, recording, and reporting of trials involving human participants. Conducting research according to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) provides public assurance that the rights, safety and well-being of human research participants are protected and that the study data are credible.
Requirement:
All individuals (e.g., investigators, coordinators, and any other personnel conducting research activities, including students, trainees, fellows, etc.) involved in conducting human research activities at Unity Health Toronto (i.e., any involvement at a site, on behalf of a site, with site participants/charts/identifiable data, etc.) that involve direct participant contact are required to complete GCP training.
Frequency:
Must be completed every three years or when a revision to the GCP guidelines is released.
Take the Course:
The Canada GCP Course: Researchers Involved with Human Research course is available on the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program website.
*This link will take you to the CITI home page. For information on account creation, logging in, and finding and completing the course, please see the FAQs below.
GCP FAQ
Health Canada Division 5
Health Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations (FDR), Part C, Division 5, applies to all clinical drug trials requiring Health Canada authorization. Part C, Division 5 regulations stipulate the application for authorization, amendments/notifications and sponsor obligations.
Requirement:
Division 5 training is mandatory for all research staff conducting a Health Canada-regulated clinical drug trial.
Frequency:
Must be completed every five years or when a revision to the regulations is released.
Take the Course:
The Health Canada Division 5 – Drugs for Clinical Trials Involving Human Subjects course is available on the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program website.
*This link will take you to the CITI home page. For information on account creation, logging in, and finding and completing the course, please see the FAQs below.
Health Canada Division 5 FAQ
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
The Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course covers topics such as avoiding research misconduct, mentorship responsibilities, data handling, and responsible authorship.
Requirement:
This course is not mandatory; however, it is highly recommended for anyone involved in research.
Frequency:
Needs to be completed only once
Take the Course:
The Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) – Life Science course is available on the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program website.
*This link will take you to the CITI home page. For information on account creation, logging in, and finding and completing the course, please see the FAQs below.
RCR FAQ
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