Bangladesh Health Research & Implementation Initiative Ethics Review Committee (BHRI ERC) is the independent ethics review committee of the Bangladesh Health Research & Implementation Initiative (BHRI). Established in 2026, the Committee provides independent ethical review and oversight of human participant research within its approved scope of review.
BHRI ERC is committed to safeguarding the rights, dignity, safety, and welfare of research participants while promoting ethical, scientifically sound, and socially responsible research conducted in accordance with internationally recognized ethical principles, Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP), and applicable ethical guidelines.
To ensure that human participant research is reviewed independently, transparently, and ethically while promoting responsible scientific inquiry and protecting research participants.
To become a trusted, transparent, and internationally recognized ethics review committee supporting high-quality health research in Bangladesh and comparable resource-limited settings.
Guiding Ethical Principles
✔ Respect for Persons
✔ Beneficence and non-maleficence
✔ Justice
✔ Independence
✔ Scientific & Ethical Integrity
✔ Confidentiality
✔ Community Respect & Human Rights
The BHRI ERC shall review human participant research within its approved scope and mandate. The Committee primarily reviews research involving public health, epidemiology, implementation science, health systems, behavioral research, observational research, community-based research, and other forms of human participant research that fall within its expertise and operational capacity.
Protocols involving increased complexity, specialized ethical considerations, vulnerable populations, investigational interventions, or other higher-risk elements may be subject to enhanced review procedures, additional safeguards, consultation with external experts, or referral for additional review as deemed appropriate by the Committee.
The BHRI ERC reserves the right to determine whether a submitted protocol falls within its scope of review and whether additional expertise or review mechanisms are required.
Chairperson
Dr. Md. Atiqul Azim Majumder
Clinical Representative
Dr. Aaqib Adnan Likhon
Technical Representative
Rifa Rafia
Public Health Representative
M. A. B. Azadi Bin Mostufa
Community & Human Rights Representative
Shahnaz Parveen Leena
BHRI ERC is committed to:
✔ Independence
✔ Fairness
✔ Transparency
✔ Confidentiality
✔ Timeliness
✔ Scientific Rigor
✔ Participant Protection
The BHRI ERC follows a structured, transparent, and timely ethical review process in accordance with its approved Standard Operating Procedures.
Submission
↓
Administrative Screening
(≤7 days)
↓
Protocol Registration
↓
Independent Ethical Review
(Next ERC Meeting)
↓
Committee Determination
(≤30 days)
↓
If Revisions Required
(≤14 days after resubmission)
↓
Final Approval & Continuing Oversight
BHRI ERC strives to conduct ethical review efficiently while maintaining independence, scientific integrity, fairness, and participant protection. Review timelines may vary depending on protocol complexity, submission completeness, the need for external expert consultation, or requests for additional information.
Possible Review Determination
Approved
Approved with Required Modifications
Deferred Pending Additional Information
Not Approved
Suspension / Withdrawal of Approval
BHRI ERC operates under a comprehensive governance system consisting of:
✔ Ethics Review Committee Charter
✔ Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
✔ Policy Manual
✔ Forms Manual
✔ Templates Manual
✔ Registers Manual
✔ Controlled Document System
BHRI ERC conducts ethical review in accordance with nationally and internationally recognized ethical principles, including:
✔ Declaration of Helsinki
✔ CIOMS International Ethical Guidelines
✔ Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP), where applicable
To support the administrative and operational costs of ethical review, BHRI Ethics Review Committee (BHRI ERC) charges fees based on the category and complexity of research. These fees contribute to administrative screening, protocol registration, document management, reviewer coordination, ethical review activities, quality assurance, record retention, and continuing oversight.
Payment of applicable fees does not guarantee ethical approval, nor does it influence the independent ethical review or final determination of BHRI ERC. All research protocols are reviewed independently and objectively based solely on their scientific quality, ethical acceptability, regulatory compliance, and participant protection.
Fee structure is shown bellow
Fee schedule effective from 17 June 2027. BHRI ERC reserves the right to revise the fee schedule periodically. The applicable fees will be those in effect on the date a complete submission is received.
Step 1 - Submission & Administrative Processing
A non-refundable Submission Fee must accompany every new protocol submission.
This fee covers:
✔ Administrative screening
✔ Protocol registration
✔ Preliminary eligibility assessment
✔ Document management
✔ Initial correspondence with investigators
✔ Protocols will proceed to administrative screening only after payment of the applicable Submission Fee.
Step 2 - Ethical Review
Following successful administrative screening and confirmation that the submission is eligible for ethical review, investigators will be requested to pay the Remaining Review Fee according to the applicable research category.
The remaining fee supports:
✔ Independent ethical review
✔ ERC meetings and deliberations
✔ Expert consultation (where applicable)
✔ Preparation of review determinations
✔ Continuing review and oversight
✔ Institutional record management
✔ Quality assurance activities
✔ The Submission Fee is non-refundable once administrative screening has commenced.
✔ The Remaining Review Fee is generally non-refundable once ethical review has begun.
✔ Where BHRI ERC determines, prior to ethical review, that a protocol falls outside its scope of review or cannot proceed for administrative reasons, the Committee may refund the Remaining Review Fee while retaining the Submission Fee to cover administrative costs.
Fee Waivers and Reductions
BHRI ERC is committed to supporting ethically sound research that serves the public interest.
The Committee may, at its discretion, approve partial or full fee waivers for:
✔ Unfunded student research
✔ Public health emergency research
✔ Humanitarian research
✔ Investigator-initiated research with demonstrated financial hardship
✔ Other exceptional circumstances considered to be in the public interest
Requests for fee waivers must be submitted in writing with appropriate justification at the time of protocol submission. Approval of fee waivers is entirely at the discretion of BHRI ERC.
✔ Payment of review fees does not influence the ethical review process or the final decision of BHRI ERC.
✔ All protocols are evaluated independently in accordance with the Committee's Charter, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and internationally accepted ethical principles.
✔ BHRI ERC maintains complete independence in all ethical review decisions regardless of the source or amount of funding.
