HRA Canada - Promoting excellence in human research through accreditation

Name

HRA Canada - Promoting excellence in human research through accreditation

Legal name

Human Research Accreditation Canada

Website

https://hracanada.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Ethics and Human Research Protection Accreditation

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

HR Compliance, Policy, EEO & Labor Law (BPACAPAM)

Keywords

• Human research accreditation
• Research ethics oversight
• HRPP certification services
• Canadian research compliance
• Peer-driven accreditation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Accreditation fees: HRA Canada generates revenue through accreditation fees charged to applicant organizations. Initial accreditation costs $10,000 with site assessment billed separately. Annual renewal costs $4,000. Additional fees apply for HRPP modifications ($150/hour) and feasibility assessments. The program is described as voluntary, affordable, and peer-driven.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HRA Canada accredits Canadian Human Research Protection Programs (HRPPs) through a voluntary, peer-driven review process based on National Standards of Canada developed by HRSO. The core offering is the HRPP Accreditation Program, delivered via document review, site assessments by HRA Canada Site Reviewers, and final review by the Accreditation Council. Customers pay a $10,000 initial accreditation fee plus separate site assessment costs, $4,000 for annual renewals, and $150/hour for HRPP modification reviews. The program is bilingual (English/French) and applies to HRPPs, Research Ethics Boards (REBs), Contract Research Organizations (CROs), and investigative sites.

Product overview

HRA Canada offers a unified accreditation program for human research protection in Canada. The core offering is the HRPP Accreditation Program, which includes initial accreditation ($10,000), annual renewal ($4,000), and supporting services like feasibility assessments and modification reviews ($150/hour). Organizations can also access a self-assessment questionnaire to evaluate their readiness. The program is built on National Standards of Canada developed by HRSO, including CAN/DGSI 129/HRSO 100.01 (HRPP development), CAN/HRSO-200.01-2021 (ethical review), and CAN/HRSO-300.01-2022 (conduct of research). HRA Canada also developed the accreditation standards under exclusive license from HRSO.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HRPP Accreditation Program A voluntary, peer-driven accreditation program that accredits Canadian Human Research Protection Programs (HRPPs) against National Standards of Canada, confirming organizations meet rigorous standards for research participant protection, evidence-based practices, efficiency, and quality of service.
• Initial Accreditation Comprehensive accreditation process for first-time applicants, including document review, on-site or remote site assessment by HRA Canada Site Reviewers, and review by the Accreditation Council. Fee: $10,000 plus separate site assessment costs.
• Annual Renewal Annual renewal site assessment that reviews the accredited organization's practices against its accredited procedures. Fee: $4,000 plus separate site assessment costs.
• HRPP Modifications Review Review service for accredited HRPPs that need to modify their structure and/or procedures due to the dynamic nature of HRPPs. Fee: $150/hour.
• Feasibility Assessment Ad hoc review of procedures by HRA Canada Site Reviewers, evaluating procedures against applicable accreditation standards and assessing organizational readiness for accreditation.
• Self-Assessment Questionnaire Online questionnaire tool that helps organizations assess their readiness for HRPP Accreditation. Responses are kept confidential and used to determine organizational readiness.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Human Research Standards Organization (HRSO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRSO is HRA Canada's sister organization, founded by Janice Parente in 2019. HRSO develops National Standards of Canada for human research and is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada. HRA Canada holds an exclusive license to use HRSO's standards for conformity assessment (accreditation). The two organizations share leadership (Janice Parente serves as President & CEO of both) and are deeply integrated in their missions.
• Standards Council of Canada (SCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Standards Council of Canada (SCC) accredited HRSO in February 2020, giving HRSO the authority to develop national standards for human research. HRA Canada's accreditation program derives its authority from this SCC-accreditation of HRSO, making it the foundational regulatory body for the program.
• ethica CRO Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partnerethica CRO Inc. is one of the founding companies of the ethica Group of Companies, also founded by Janice Parente. It was the first CRO globally to earn full HRPP accreditation (in 2006). ethica CRO Inc. appears as a partner on HRA Canada's website and is listed as an accredited organization. As a related-party entity, the relationship is close but non-contractual in the traditional partnership sense.
• Veritas IRB Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeritas IRB Inc. is part of the ethica Group of Companies founded by Janice Parente. It was among the first organizations to achieve HRA Canada accreditation and is listed as an accredited organization on HRA Canada's website.
• Horizon Health NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorizon Health Network is one of three accredited HRPPs under HRA Canada. It is also listed as a partner on HRA Canada's website. The relationship reflects mutual endorsement between accredited organizations and the accreditor.
• Nova Scotia HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNova Scotia Health is listed as a partner/supporter on HRA Canada's website. Dr. Marie-Laurence Tremblay, Research Ethics Manager at Nova Scotia Health, serves on the HRA Canada Accreditation Council.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Advarra: Advarra is a major IRB and research compliance services provider supporting sponsors and sites. It is adjacent to HRA Canada in the research-ethics value chain but operates as an IRB service provider rather than an HRPP accreditor.
• CIOMS (Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences): CIOMS develops international ethical guidelines for health research, including the widely cited CIOMS Guidelines referenced in HRA Canada's standards framework. It is comparable as a parallel standards-setting body, though not a direct accreditation competitor.
• WIRB-Copernicus Group (now part of Advarra): WIRB-Copernicus Group is one of the largest independent IRBs serving US-based human-subject research. It is thematically adjacent to HRA Canada within research ethics, but is a service provider rather than an accreditation body.

Broad incumbents

• Joint Commission International: The Joint Commission is the dominant healthcare and hospital accreditation body, operating at far greater scale across broader healthcare delivery categories. It is comparable as a healthcare accreditation incumbent but does not specialize in HRPPs, where HRA Canada operates.
• ACHC (Accreditation Commission for Health Care): ACHC is an established US healthcare accreditation provider across multiple care settings, demonstrating the broader accreditation-services industry context. It is comparable as an incumbent accreditor operating in healthcare but does not directly serve the HRPP niche.
• NCQA: NCQA is a large healthcare quality accreditation and recognition body. While not focused on research ethics, it shares the same conformity-assessment business model and provides a reference point for how accreditation scale economics can be built in adjacent healthcare categories.

Direct peers

• WHO SIDCER (Strategic Initiative for Developing Capacity in Ethical Review): SIDCER is the World Health Organization's initiative that supports recognition and accreditation of research ethics committees globally, putting it in direct functional alignment with HRA Canada's mandate to accredit REBs and HRPPs against recognized standards.
• Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP): AAHRPP is the leading international body that accredits Human Research Protection Programs (HRPPs) using peer-driven review against recognized standards, making it the closest functional analog to HRA Canada and the most comparable direct competitor in the HRPP accreditation category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orion-human-research-accreditation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about HRA Canada - Promoting excellence in human research through accreditation