The Forum for Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) / Research Ethics Boards (REBs) in Canada and the United States (FOCUS) grew out of a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative and has, as a major objective, the development of capacity building in the ethical review of human research.

FOCUS is one of five regional fora established as part of an initiative that began with the Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) of the WHO. That initiative has designated the Strategic Initiative for Developing Capacity in Ethical Review (SIDCER). A major objective of SIDCER is to assist in the worldwide need for capacity building in the ethics review of biomedical research. Activities of the fora include regional workshops. FOCUS is a voluntary, not-for-profit initiative.

FOCUS began with a small planning group of individuals from Canada and the United States interested in the ethics of research in humans.

Secretariat

Secretariat support for FOCUS is provided by the office of the National Council on Ethics in Human Research (NCEHR) based in Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA.