The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has released its Operational Guidelines for Single Ethics Review of Multicentre Research in India, marking an important step toward simplifying and strengthening clinical research across the country. Moving Beyond Multiple Ethics Approvals Traditionally, every participating hospital or institution in a multicentre study was required to obtain approval from its own Institutional Ethics Committee. While designed to protect research participants, this often resulted in lengthy approval timelines, duplication of effort, and significant delays in study initiation.
The new framework introduces a Single Ethics Review model that aims to reduce unnecessary administrative burden while maintaining ethical oversight—an important advancement for multicentre and collaborative research. What Do the Guidelines Cover? The guidelines apply to a broad range of…
