Subject : Our study highlights important differences in ethics accreditation culture and practices between healthcare institutions and knowledge institutions. These differences are at the root of many of the challenges we have encountered in establishing such partnerships in research ethics. Methodology : A case study examined these challenges through the ethical applications of six cohorts of graduates completing an "internship" in a health program offered by several partner universities in Ontario, Canada. This case study resulted in the analysis of 78 files that included a table of indicators identifying the problems encountered in implementing the ethical rules in the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS1 and 2). Results : It was found that the difficulties encountered were generally less explained by a lack of knowledge of the governmental requirements of the TCPS1 and 2 than by a culture of autonomy within professionals, particularly those involved in clinical research with regard especially to the use of secondary data and the lack of explicit consent for such research.