WOMEN’S AND CHILDREN’S HEALTH NETWORK

INSTITUTIONAL BIOSAFETY COMMITTEE TERMS OF REFERENCE

Role

The Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is to assist the CYWHS fulfil its responsibilities in regard to compliance with the Gene Technology Act 2000 and Gene Technology Regulations 2001, principally by providing liaison between research groups that conduct work with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator, including assessment/approval of applications and certification of facilities.

Desired Outcomes

The WCHN IBC will

  1. Assess all applications for work with GMOs including exempt dealings and notifiable low risk dealings against appropriate OGTR guidelines.
  2. Assess and recommend applications for work with GMOs as licensed dealings before submission to the OGTR for approval.
  3. Review and recommend certification of facilities for work with GMOs before submission to OGTR for approval.
  4. Conduct annual inspections of certified facilities in accordance with OGTR guidelines.
  5. Maintain a register of applications and approved projects for work with GMOs.
  6. Provide an annual report to the OGTR of all projects and facilities authorised for work with GMOs.
  7. Act as a liaison point for communications between OGTR and researchers involved in work with GMOs.
  8. Provide a source of expert advice for researchers working with GMOs.
  9. Advise researchers of their responsibilities with regard to working with GMOs.

Membership

Members will be appointed by the Chief Executive Officer (or delegate) CYWHS.

The IBC will have a minimum of six members each of which should have appropriate knowledge and skills. The chair, deputy chair and secretary of the IBC will be WCHN employees. The members should include at least one person knowledgeable in the following areas:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Layperson
  • Animal facility management

Other expertise may be appropriate depending on the nature of work with GMOs being done within the WCHN.

Meeting Process

The IBC will meet monthly or at least six times per year.

A quorum will be half plus one member.

In the absence of the Chair of the IBC, the Deputy Chair will assume this role.

There is no provision for proxies should members be unable to attend the meeting.

Minutes of the meeting will be recorded, endorsed and signed by the Chair of the IBC and stored in accordance with Public Sector guidelines. Members of the IBC will receive minutes within five working days.

Each meeting will be conducted in the following order:

1) Preliminaries (including apologies, present, in attendance and welcome)

2) Confirmation of previous minutes

3) Business carried over

4) New business (including new protocols)

5) Correspondence.

6) Other business

7) Next meeting.

Reporting

The Chair of the WCHN IBC will report to the Research Board Subcommitteeas required.

Minutes of the IBC meetings will be made available to key stakeholders upon request.

Review of Terms of Reference

The Terms of Reference and membership of the IBC will be reviewed by the Research Board Subcommittee annually.

The WCHN Institutional Biosafety Committee Terms of Reference were endorsed by the WCHN
Executive on:
...... day...... date ...... month ...... year

Last updated March 2008

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