SIDCER Operations

          The SIDCER activities are carried out by the regional fora, individually or collectively. The activities may be carried out in collaboration with organizations or individuals from the SIDCER Advisory Board or others. The focus of the activities is on developing ethics in health research within the context of local values and international standards. SIDCER develops regional and national capacity for ethical review based on the WHO/TDR Operational Guidelines for Ethics Committees That Review Biomedical Research and taking into account international ethical and regulatory guidance.
          SIDCER also promotes the development of quality assurance and quality improvement processes for ethics in health research, focused primarily on ethical review practices. Reference is made here to the companion guidance to the Operational Guidelines entitled Surveying and Evaluating Ethical Review Practices.
          The activities of SIDCER are determined according to major goals (quantifiable key targets achievable over the next 2 to 5 years) and major strategic action items to plan, pursue, fund, and implement the activities required to achieve the mission. As an integral part of its growth and development as an initiative, SIDCER undertakes continual review of its operational and economic health, including analyses of the initiative’s challenges/risks, opportunities/benefits to others, strengths, and weaknesses. The needs and requirements of the activities designed to achieve its mission are also continually reviewed. The initiative’s mission, guiding principles, objectives, and vision are integral to the assessment of operations and activities.
          The evolution of the SIDCER initiative is planned within carefully designed structure to achieve measurable aims and accommodate growth. This allows for orderly planning with appropriate separation and integration of operational activities. The definition of goals is followed by the designing of strategic actions that, step-by-step, achieve demonstrably the desired outcomes. Challenges are met by maximising resource usage through partnership, minimising risks to outcomes through rational planning, and maximizing benefits through careful research and consultation as well as consistent follow-up. The incremental approach to capacity-building in ethical review through the development and implementation of guidelines, education tools and programs, and pilot projects alongside the development of national fora allows the Project to address the potential weaknesses and limiting factors.