Objectives

FOCUS aims to foster high standards in the ethics of research in humans in Canada and the United States. FOCUS strives to achieve its objectives through the following activities:

• Providing a forum for regular meeting and discussion of research ethics issues common to Canada and the United States and to facilitate dialogue, co-operation and exchange of experiences between individuals and organisations in order to enhance the protection of human participants in research. Among the activities of FOCUS is an invitational conference followed by a conference report for distribution to stakeholders;
• Fostering communication and partnerships between Canada and the United States, between governments and other organizations that share common values and goals;
• Improving communication among IRBs/REBs;
• Promoting the development and implementation of actions designed to improve the quality of ethics review (e.g., accreditation);
• Promoting education about the ethics of research in humans across all disciplines;
• Providing North American representation to SIDCER.

Outcomes and Deliverables

• Improved cross-border and broader international understanding by stakeholders on the issues related to selected topics;
• Improved understanding by stakeholders of similarities and differences in dealing with these issues;
• Production of reports of FOCUS conference proceedings for distribution to governments and other stakeholders;
• Overall enhancement of Canada/US co-operation and collaboration in dealing with issues related to the protection of human participants in research.

Financial Means

The financial means of FOCUS are composed of contributions, grants, research funding, gifts or other sources of funding.