OFFICE of RESEARCH SERVICES
Animal Ethics
The Animal Research Ethics Board approves animal-use protocols, reviews proposals for projects that involve live animals and oversees the post-approval monitoring of animal-use protocols. Application reviews are guided by the policies and guidelines established by the Canadian Council on Animal Care.
Thank you for your patience and enthusiasm as we complete the transition from ROMEO to the WorkTribe ethics management system. We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting ethics submissions in WorkTribe!
A Researcher User Guide is available here with step-by-step instructions on how to submit a new application and how to manage your currently approved applications.
Researchers with active studies in ROMEO will be contacted directly to confirm that we have successfully migrated their studies to the new system. If you currently do not have any active studies in ROMEO, you won’t be contacted directly by us, but you now have the option to use WorkTribe to submit any new studies.
Note that if you have a closed or expired study in ROMEO, this has not been migrated. If you have any items from closed or expired studies that you would like to keep for your records, please ensure you download them from ROMEO and save them to your files before December 1st.
If you have started an application draft in ROMEO, have revisions requested or have renewals or modifications submitted in ROMEO that haven’t yet been approved– don’t worry, we will not make you re-submit them from scratch in the new system. Once your submission has been approved, we will migrate the information over for you and will confirm with you that this has been done.
Please note that ROMEO will not be available after December 1st, so ensure you have submitted any new studies or your outstanding revisions before then.
Please contact Rebecca at mitchellr38@macewan.ca with any questions or concerns.
Application process
Research that involves animal subjects must be approved by the Animal Research Ethics Board (AREB). Proposals can be submitted anytime, but work on projects cannot begin until after an ethics proposal has been approved.
If your scholarly activity requires AREB approval, take these steps to ensure the success of your application.
The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and the Animal Research Ethics Board (AREB) require that all research, teaching and training involving animals must undergo the following two distinct and separate reviews and approvals prior to the use of animals:
- Peer review for scientific (research) or pedagogical (teaching or training) merit
- Ethics review by the AREB
Projects funded by major external granting agencies are considered to have undergone successful peer review during the granting process. Contact research@macewan.ca to determine if you require this step.
- FAQ scientific merit and ethical review of animal-based research
- SOP 101: Scientific merit review process
- Submission for scientific merit review form
- FAQ pedagogical merit of live animal-based teaching and training
- SOP 102: Pedagogical merit review process
- Submission for pedagogical merit review form
Before submitting an AREB application, you should be familiar with MacEwan University policies and documents related to the ethical treatment of live animals. The following documents are provided to assist you in developing a successful AREB application.
The AREB acts in accordance with guidelines, policies and associated documents established by the Canadian Council of Animal Care (CCAC). The CCAC assesses MacEwan’s animal care and use program every three years. The most recent assessment was conducted in March 2017.
The following standard operating procedures promote the highest standards of practice in research, teaching and testing involving animals.
Additional SOPs related to board administration are available on request.
The AREB meets on the following dates to review applications. Applications can be submitted at any time using the online submission system, ROMEO. However, to be eligible for review at a meeting, applications must be received by the deadline indicated. You can expect to hear from the board with its decision within five business days of the meeting.
| Meeting date | Submission deadline |
|---|---|
| September 14, 2026 | August 31, 2026 |
| October 19, 2026 | October 5, 2026 |
| November 23, 2026 | November 9, 2026 |
| December 14, 2026 | November 30, 2026 |
Apply for AREB approval using the online system ROMEO.
MacEwan University faculty
If you are a MacEwan faculty member, log in to the research portal using your MacEwan ID and password.
MacEwan University students and external researchers
If you are a student or external researcher, you need to register for a ROMEO account before logging in.
The AREB committee is comprised of membership according to the Terms of Reference.
| Number of Members | Role/Position | Member Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chairperson | Selected and appointed by AVPR |
| 1 | Vice-Chairperson | Selected and appointed by AVPR |
| 1 | Animal Care Coordinator | Ex-officio |
| 1 | Research Ethics Officer | Ex-officio |
| 1 | Health, Safety and Environment | Ex-officio, consulting role |
| 1 | Consulting Veterinarian | Ex-officio |
| 1 | Back-Up Consulting Veterinarian | Ex-officio |
| 1-2 | Community Members | External, no university affiliation |
| 2-4 | Faculty members, animal care and use experience | Selected and appointed by AVPR |
| 1-2 | Faculty members, no animal care and use | Selected and appointed by AVPR |
| 1-2 | Student Representative(s) | Selected and appointed by SAMU |
See the Terms of Reference for appointment process, member responsibility committee structure and functioning.
Animal use statistics
MacEwan University is committed to transparency in research. View our annual summary of animal use in research and teaching, as reported to the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC).
ROMEO
MacEwan University’s online ethics application system, ROMEO, supports you throughout your project, from submitting and modifying your application to renewing and closing your study. Applications can be submitted anytime.
Proposals that were reviewed and approved prior to the implementation of the ROMEO system in August 2017 have been uploaded for you. These projects are managed within this new system.
The following guides explain the application process and help you manage your project after it has been approved:
How to access ROMEO
If you are a MacEwan faculty or staff member, and it is your first time submitting an application, please register for ROMEO by completing the registration form. Once your registration has been processed, you can log in to the Research Portal using your MacEwan ID and password.
If you are a student or external researcher, you need to register for a ROMEO account before logging in.