NHG recognises research as an essential component in achieving its vision and mission.

NHG Group Research was formally established on 1st January 2004 as part of a concerted effort to provide pertinent and specialised research administrative support in NHG.

The key mission of NHG Group Research is to achieve NHG’s strategic goal of promoting the conduct of relevant research through better collaboration and harmonisation of research programmes and initiatives among NHG Institutions.

The SingHealth Centralised Institutional Review Board (CIRB), an independent body constituted of medical, scientific, and non-scientific members, was established on 01 April 2009.

It is guided by ethical principles outlined in the Belmont Report and legal mandates outlined in the International Conference for Harmonisation Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice (ICH GCP), Human Biomedical Research Act (HBRA) and its regulations.

Its responsibility is to ensure the protection of the rights, safety and well-being of human subjects in research by approving and providing constant reviewing of research studies and amendments, and of the methods and materials used to obtain and document informed consent.

SingHealth CIRB is appointed by the Principal-In-Charge (PIC) of SingHealth. The CIRB provides an independent and timely review of research studies involving SingHealth patients, staff, facilities and/or being conducted in premises of institutions under the oversight of CIRB. Ethics review will also be provided to research institutions who have appointed the CIRB as the reviewing IRB.