IRISS | General Information
The Institutional Research Information Services Solution (IRISS) is an online system that gives researchers and their teams an automated workflow when applying for ethics certifications necessary to conduct research with humans or their information.
There are two platforms within the IRISS system: the University of Calgary (U of C) platform and the HREBA platform. Each platform has a separate registration process and login location, all of which can be accessed from this page: http://www.ucalgary.ca/iriss/
Registering as a First-time HREBA IRISS User
First-time users must register in this one-time only process following the steps below:
- Go to the HREBA IRISS Registration Page.
- Select the appropriate HREBA committee.
- Depending on your role, you may be asked to upload a recent CV (within 2 years), and various training certificates
- You will receive an email with log in information to access IRISS in 1-3 business days
If you are already registered with one of the HREBA committees and need access to another committee, please contact us. Submitting another registration will not give you access to the additional committee.
Accessing IRISS to Submit an Application for Ethics Review to HREBA
Once you are registered as a HREBA IRISS user, you can go directly to the HREBA IRISS login page to begin a new HREBA submission or revise an existing one.
Users Who Have Both University of Calgary (U of C) and HREBA Accounts
Most users’ accounts are separate. Access to U of C studies are through a U of C account/login; access to HREBA studies are through a HREBA account / login.
An exception to this is U of C studies which have been transferred to HREBA; these need to be accessed through a U of C account.
A few users may have linked accounts. If your account is linked you will be able to initiate and access all studies (U of C and HREBA) regardless of which IRISS account you use to sign in.
IRISS: Terms and Conditions of Use
Terms and conditions for the use of IRISS have been laid out in a document available here.
Electronic Signature Use in IRISS
An electronic signature, or electronic process, is used in IRISS where, in a paper document, a signature would be required. More information.
View Access
View Access is a component of the 2016 Reciprocity Agreement signed by Alberta Health Services, Alberta Innovates, College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta, Covenant Health, University of Alberta, and University of Calgary. It supports information exchange between parties and facilitates health research administration, in particular contracts/grants management, administrative/operational approvals and institutional oversight. Currently, designees from Alberta Health Services, Covenent Health, and the Northern Alberta Clinical Trials and Research Centre (NACTRC) may have view access on a study by study basis, based on the information provided by researchers within their HREBA IRISS applications. More information.
Additional Information and Assistance
If you’ve accessed the IRISS system in the past, system updates are performed periodically. To ensure that the pages load properly, please clear your cache.
As of October 1, 2018 all open HREBA-CC paper files have been migrated to the IRISS system. Paper/e-mail submissions are no longer accepted as all ethics files are now being processed through IRISS.
Information collected is subject to disclosure under of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act; any Personal information is collected specifically pursuant to Section 33(c). This collection is in relation directly to the Health Research Ethics Board of Alberta (HREBA). Should you have any questions about the collection of this information, you may contact the Manager of Research Ethics at (780) 429-7659.
Not sure? Contact us. We’re here to help.