Scientific and Technical Committee

Overview of the STC

The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research Scientific and Technical Committee (NMIMR-STC) was established in 1982 with the mandate to examine the objectives, relevance, scientific quality, and budgets of all proposed research projects and also review the progress of their execution. An ancillary responsibility of the committee was to serve as a conference committee of the Institute.

The NMIMR-STC conducts the scientific evaluation of all research proposals and amendments proposed by NMIMR staff before onward submission to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for ethical considerations and approvals, and study initiation. The STC reviews encompass an assessment of the scientific rationale and merit of a proposed study in addition to the protocol design, safety considerations and biostatistical analysis to determine if it is of high quality and if appropriate designs are being used to address the study question(s). It also reviews informed consent documents to assess their scientific accuracy and ensure that participants are informed of risks, side effects, and any alternative treatments.

The STC may invite scientists outside the Institute who have the expertise as co-opted reviewers, which is done by the coordinator in consultation with the chairperson. The co-opted reviewers have the option of either participating physically in the deliberations or sending in written reports.

Membership

The STC is chaired by the Director of the Institute and has a membership comprising a retired professor, all heads of the scientific departments, a representative from the University of Ghana Institute for Statistical Social and Economic Research, the University of Ghana Medical School, and Department of Biochemistry/West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP). The Institute Administrator and staff, and an IRB representative provide administrative support.

Committee Members

In Attendance

Co-opted Reviewers

The STC at its discretion may invite scientists who are not members of STC but have expertise to function as co-opted reviewers of a project application to assist the STC in its review process. This will be done by the Coordinator(s) in consultation with the Chairman of STC. These co-opted reviewers shall have access to all documents submitted to STC relevant to the specific project under review. They may participate at the deliberations and make recommendation on the project.

Meetings

The Committee meets on the first or second Tuesday of every other month and operates on the academic year schedule. The agenda for every meeting includes all protocols submitted for review and matters arising out of the previous meeting. Members are notified of an upcoming meeting two weeks before the meeting and the materials submitted will be distributed early enough (at least two weeks) to allow ample time for the review of the protocols.

Submission Deadline

Every Monday or the first working day of the week by 5 pm GMT. Follow the link below to download the submission deadline and Form.

Complete the forms and send them to stc@noguchi.ug.edu.gh for review.