The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC) (hereinafter the Tri-Agencies),require that the research they fund be carried out in accordance with high standards of ethics and integrity, and that the grant funds be spent in compliance with certain procedures and requirements. For example, any research involving humans, funded by the Agencies, must comply with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. These standards and requirements are set out in Agency policies and in the agreements between the agencies and the researchers and their institutions. Therefore, when an Agency is made aware of a possible case of a researcher failing to comply with one of these requirements, it will refer the case to the institution for investigation. The expected procedures for such investigations are outlined in the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Integrity in Research and Scholarship and in the Framework for Tri-Council Review of Institutional Policies Dealing with Integrity in Research.

CIHR does not conduct investigations. CIHR's Research Integrity Committee (RIC) reviews the allegations and refers them to institutions for investigation. However, if CIHR establishes that a researcher or institution has not complied with the terms of its agreement with CIHR, then CIHR will exercise its contractual remedies, as it deems appropriate, including taking action in accordance with the Tri-Agency Process for Addressing Allegations of Non-Compliance with Tri-Agency Policies (the Process).

The Tri-Agencies have developed a harmonized process for reviewing allegations to ensure a consistent approach across disciplines. This Tri-Agency Process was launched in February 2010 and replaces the CIHR Procedure for Addressing Allegations of Non-Compliance with Research Policies that was originally published in 2004 and revised in December 2006. The CIHR Procedure was used as a guidance document in the development of this new Tri-Agency Process.

Subsequent updates to the Process will be made every three years, to ensure that the Process continues to enable CIHR, and the other Agencies to effectively respond to allegations of non-compliance with Tri-Agency policies, in a fair and timely manner.