Additional information about the launch of the new online protocol submission platform – Western Research Ethics Manager (WREM) – on September 7, 2017:

Attestation
A previous memo indicated chairs, chiefs and department heads will now be responsible for providing a one-time initial attestation. To clarify, the one-time attestation will only be required on submissions that have been determined by the REB to require a full board review (i.e., delegated submissions will not require a chairs, chiefs and department heads attestation) and the REB review will NOT be delayed while waiting for the attestation but an REB approval letter will not be issued until the attestation has been documented in WREM.

ROMEO Shutdown
ROMEO will shut down at midnight on August 31, 2017 and you will begin using WREM as of September 7. To allow for a successful data migration between the two systems, you will not have access to ROMEO or WREM between these dates.

Migration

1st Migration – September 7, 2017

• All studies approved in ROMEO up to Aug 31, 2017 will be migrated to WREM.
• There will be no access to ROMEO or WREM during Sept 1-6 as data migration will be taking place during this time.
• All new submissions and any post approval submissions (for those studies that were initially migrated to WREM) are to be created using the new platform.
• Information that will be initially migrated will include: REB number, full study title, PI name, initial approval date, expiry date, those designated as Research Support Staff.
• Important notes:
  o No information about post-approval submissions (e.g., amendment, CER, reportable events, etc.) will be migrated during the 1st migration. This information will be migrated during the 2nd migration.
  o No study documents (incl. the ROMEO Application Form (“Western Protocol”)) will be migrated into WREM.
  o All those designated as Research Support Staff in a ROMEO file will also have access to the migrated file in WREM.

2nd Migration – date TBD

• If your initial submission or post-approval submission has been submitted – but not approved – in ROMEO by August 31, it will be migrated during the 2nd migration.
• To help minimize delays, please save copies of ALL currently approved documents (e.g., ROMEO Application Form (“Western Protocol”), Letters of Information, etc.) from ROMEO to your secured network drive for easy access.

Training
Training for WREM began on July 11. Please visit the dedicated rollout website to register for an upcoming session, schedule individual training, or for additional information.

 photo credit: MTSOfan Cuddle Up and Watch the Lake via photopin (license)