| Ethics
and Governance
-
Introduction
- Ethical
approval in the university
-
Ethical & governance approval for nhs-related projects
- Training courses,
workshops & conferences
-
Further information & guidance
Introduction
The University of Brighton aims to ensure that its research is carried out to high academic, ethical and financial standards, and that it conforms to good practice in all of these areas. A Guidance document on Good Practice in Research Ethics and Governance is available here. The University also has a legal obligation to conform to various pieces of government legislation, and an increasing number of major funders of research, such as the Department of Health and the Research Councils, have either already introduced, or will shortly be introducing ethics or governance frameworks with which they require the University to comply. Links to current funders’ frameworks are available below. If you have any queries relating to research ethics and governance, please contact
, Academic Research Officer in Registry, ext. 4184.
Ethical and Governance Review and Approval in the University
The University has a three-tier ethics and governance review system in place. The first tier consists of initial scrutiny of research proposals at School level. This should include a review of the quality of the proposed research and identification of any ethical issues and consideration as to how they have been addressed. It should also include an assessment of the potential ethical risks to determine whether or not the proposal should be referred up for Tier 2 review by a Faculty Research Ethics and Governance Committee. A Guidance document on initial scrutiny of research proposals at Tier 1 level is available here, which includes a risk assessment checklist. Schools have various mechanisms for reviewing research proposals, and researchers, students and supervisors should therefore check with their Head of School or Head of Research to see what processes are in place in their School.
For those proposals which have been identified at Tier 1 level as presenting more than minimal ethical risk, Tier 2 review should be carried out by a Faculty Research Ethics and Governance Committee (FREGC). Any NHS-related proposals where the University is being asked to act as ‘research sponsor’ under the Department of Health Research Governance Framework should also be sent to a FREGC for review, and to decide whether the University can agree to act in this capacity (see section below for further information on ethical and governance review for NHS-related proposals).
The five FREGCs generally meet once a term, and applicants should contact their FREGC secretary to find out when the next meeting is taking place and the deadline for submission of proposals. Guidelines for submitting proposals and other relevant documentation are also available from FREGC secretaries.
Faculty of Arts and Architecture Research Ethics and Governance Committee
Secretary: Clarence Singleton (ext 4720 email c.j.singleton@brighton.ac.uk)
Ethical Research Guidelines for Staff and Students
Faculty of Education and Sport Research Ethics and Governance Committee
Secretary: Matt Warne, ext 3316,
Guidelines for submitting proposals
Faculty of Health & Social Science Research Ethics and Governance Committee
Secretary: Glynnis Flood, ext 4029,
Guidelines for submitting proposals
Brighton Business School
Secretary: tbc
Guidelines for submitting proposals
Faculty of Science and Engineering Research Ethics and Governance Committee
Secretary:
Beth Tilston, ext 2396,
Further information on ethical review within the Faculty of Science and Engineering can be found here
The University Research Ethics and Governance Committee acts mainly as a top level policy, strategy and monitoring body for matters concerning research ethics and governance. The REGC normally carries out review of proposals only in cases where they have been referred up to it by one of the FREGCs, or where an appeal has been received against a decision made by one of the FREGCs.
University Research Ethics and Governance Committee
Secretary: Hilary Ougham, ext 4184, h.a.ougham@brighton.ac.uk
Research Ethics and Governance Committee Terms of Reference, Constitution and Membership
Minutes of Research Ethics and Governance Committee meetings
Top
Ethical and Governance approval for NHS-related projects
All NHS-related research must be reviewed by an
NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC). NHS-related proposals include all research carried out on NHS property, using NHS facilities or staff, or involving NHS patients or service users, their organs, tissues or data, or their relatives or carers. From October 2007, under the Mental Capacity Act, any proposals which involve people who lack capacity to consent to take part in the research will also need to be reviewed by an NHS REC. Guidance on research involving participants who lack capacity is given in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice
The process for applying for NHS ethical review is outlined in the University's Guidance on applying for ethical approval in the NHS, which should be read in conjuction with the document Guidance for applicants to the National Research Ethics Service. In addition, NHS Trusts require governance approval for research projects, and researchers should check at an early stage with the R&D manager of the relevant NHS Trust as to what is required. In some cases the University may need to agree to act as research ‘sponsor’ for a project, ie the organisation with responsibility for managing and monitoring the research. The procedure for deciding whether the University can act as sponsor is outlined in the Guidance on Research Governance in Health.
The University has an agreement with the Sussex NHS Research Consortium on Research Governance for Student Research. This document sets out the terms of agreement between the University and the Consortium for the governance and supervision of research projects for the purposes of ensuring project-level compliance with the Department of Health Research Governance Framework.
It applies to all student research where the University has agreed to act as ‘sponsor’ under the DoH Framework, and where any member of the Consortium is involved in any way (eg if the student is an employee of a Consortium member, or where the Consortium member is to be used for recruitment of participants in the research). A list of Consortium members is included in Schedule A of the Agreement. Supervisors of students undertaking research which falls under this description should therefore ensure that the research is compliant with the Agreement.
Schedules A and B are included in the main Agreement document. However, Schedules C to H are available as separate documents:
Schedule C - Applicants checklist - Student Registration
Schedule D - Student Project Research Registration Proforma
Schedule E - Student Project Risk Assessment Checklist
Schedule F - Guidance for completing Risk Assessments
Where researchers are to be involved in an NHS-related project and are to interact with individual patients in a way that directly affects the quality of their care, they may also need an NHS Research Passport, and in some cases additionally an Honorary Contract with the NHS organisation in which they will be working. The NHS Research Passport is a system to ensure that all the necessary pre-engagement checks have been carried out on the researcher. Further details regarding the Research Passport Scheme are provided in the document Guide to completing the Research Passport Form, and a copy of the form can be found here
Top
Training
courses, workshops and conferences
The University
runs training courses and workshops in research ethics and governance
from time to time, and details of forthcoming events will be published
here. Some Schools also run their own workshops and seminars on ethics
and governance for staff and students, and ethical issues are covered
in the Certificate and Diploma in Research Methodology which the University
runs for research degree students.
Various external
organisations also run research ethics training courses, workshops or
conferences including those listed below:
The University of Brighton has the following documents which offer further information relating to research ethics and governance:
Several major research funders and other organisations also have useful frameworks or guidance notes on ethics, governance and good research practice and conduct:
If you have any queries relating to research ethics and governance, please contact , Academic Research Officer in Registry, ext. 4184.
Top
|
