
The Ethics Review Committee (ERC) of the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine commenced its activities in 2012 and became a member of the Forum of Ethics Review Committees of Sri Lanka (FERCSL) in 2018. ERC of the PGIM is dedicated to review research work carried out by the trainees, trainers, extended faculty and the staff of the PGIM. The ERC is committed to support researchers adhere to ethical principles and inculcate ethical practices in research among postgraduate trainees. Thus, the ERC of the PGIM also contributes to the quality of the postgraduate medical education in the country through its support for quality and ethically sound research.
Ethics Review Committee, Postgraduate institute of Medicine has been accredited/recognized by:
- The Strategic Initiative for Developing Capacity in Ethical Review (SIDCER) established in WHO-TDR,
- Forum for Ethical Review Committees in the Asian and Western Pacific Region (FERCAP),
- Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka
The PGIM ERC is a member of the Forum of Ethics Review Committees of Sri Lanka (FERCSL) since 2018.


Submission Guidelines
Submitting an Application
The ERC of the PGIM is currently piloting an online application submission method. If you intend to submit an application to the ERC, please follow the steps described below.
Step 1: Download the templates and prepare all the necessary documents
Step 2: Access the Application Submission Form using the following link, Link to Application
Step 3: Complete the form and Submit
(If you find it difficult to submit through the online submission system, please send an email to erc@pgim.cmb.ac.lk stating your difficulty and the PGIM would be able to help you)
Upon submitting the application and if your application is in order, you will receive a Reference Number (i.e. ERC/PGIM/2020/xxxx) within 2 working days and you should be able to use the same for follow-up communication with the ERC.
Please note that you have to submit an application before 28th of the month for the application to be reviewed in time for the next meeting.
Documents Required
Following documents are required for you to complete the ERC application.
- Covering letter: covering letter should be signed by the applicant. If the applicant is a postgraduate trainee of the PGIM, covering letter should be submitted through the supervisor who is officially assigned to the applicant.
- Declaration of Applicant
- Signed co-investigator list along with their role in the research
- Research Protocol
- Information Sheet and Consent Form in English, and in Sinhala and Tamil where appropriate
- Other relevant documents (i.e. questionnaires) in English, and in Sinhala and Tamil where appropriate
- Approval letter from the relevant Board of Study for postgraduate study protocols.
- Curriculum vitae of the principle investigator and other co-investigators
The ERC has provided templates for the required documents and you are advised to use the templates in preparing the necessary documents.
You will be able to download the necessary templates from the Downloads section.
Review Process & Decisions
- The ERC of the PGIM convenes each month and shall review all applications submitted on or before 28th of the previous month. You can find the meeting dates in the Meeting Schedule section.
- The ERC office shall first screen your application for missing documents or incompleteness. If found, you will have to re-submit or provide the missing documents in order to proceed with the review. You will only be offered a Registration Number (i.e. ERC/PGIM/2020/xxxx) when the documents are in order.
- Two reviewers shall review the application and their decisions shall be conveyed to the ERC.
- ERC shall discuss the reviewer comments and will decide on one of the following outcomes.
- Approved
- Conditional Approval
- Approve with Revisions
- Reject
- Some protocols may be granted exemptions or be subjected to expedited review as per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of the ERC.
- The Secretary of the ERC shall communicate to you the outcome and in instances other than ‘Approved’ cases, a meeting will be called to convey the ERC decision and the comments.
- You may attend to the suggestions made and forward the amended protocol and other documents to the ERC via erc@pgim.cmb.ac.lk
- After re-assessing the amendments made and your response, the ERC will convey to you its decision as described earlier.
- You may read the SOPs of the ERC of the PGIM made available in the download section for further information.
Reporting
- Following obtaining ethical clearance, it is your responsibility as the primary investigator to submit Progress Reports and Final Report as instructed by the ERC.
- A progress report must be submitted every six (6) months and should indicate any deviations from the original protocol without a delay.
- You can download the templates for reporting using the Download section.
ERC Final Report Format (Word)
ERC Progress Report Format (Word)
ERC Payments
- ERC Payment for Trainees of the PGIM – Rs. 3000
- ERC Payment for Extended faculty of the PGIM of UOC- Rs. 5000
- ERC Payment for Industry sponsored projects – Rs. 15,000
Please use below templates when preparing the necessary documentation.
For submitting an Application for ERC Approval
Co-investigators/Supervisors list
Declaration
Submission Check List
Curriculum Vitae
Sample Information Sheet
Sample Consent Form
For Reporting
ERC Final Report Format (Word)
ERC Progress Report Format (Word)
Additional documents
CIOMS International Ethical Guidelines for Epidemiological Studies 2009
CIOMS International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans 2016