Ethics Review Sub-Committee

Terms of Reference

  1. To consider ethical issues relating to the research, teaching and innovation activities of the University as defined by the Ethical Policy Framework with the aim of maintaining ethical standards of practice in research and facilitating valuable research. This can include work undertaken on University premises by persons other than the staff and students of the University.
  2. To produce guidance documents and standard operating procedures for staff and students on ethical issues and to publish these guidelines.
  3. To be available to give advice to staff and students of the University on the ethical considerations involved in their research, innovation or teaching activity.
  4. To keep the University’s Standard Operating Procedures and Codes of Practice for ethics review under review and to recommend to the Ethics Committee such modifications as from time to time are deemed necessary.
  5. As a matter of routine, to consider the ethical implications of individual proposals which raise ethical questions from staff and students and to advise whether these proposals are appropriate. Decisions will be: 
    • Favourable, with no alterations needed (may include requests for minor changes not requiring resubmission).
    • Favourable with conditions (Conditional).  Feedback will be returned to the investigators. Investigators will have 30 working days after receiving the comments to respond. If investigators do not respond to the comments within 30 working days, the decision will change to unfavourable.  Extensions and reminders regarding the deadline will be provided.
    • Provisional, further details required for review to be undertaken.
    • Unfavourable.
    Favourable opinions can be withdrawn, and research studies halted, if ethical issues arise during the progress of the study until these concerns have been addressed.
  6. To escalate submissions requiring specialist external scrutiny or raising unresolved ethical issues to the appropriate Dean for resolution.
  7. To meet once in each term to discuss proposals and other ethical issues. All meetings will be reported to the Ethics Committee.
  8. To delegate review of ethics submissions for studies involving human participants, received in those months when the Sub-Committee is not meeting, to the relevant Sub-Group, which will meet monthly when the Sub-Committee does not meet.
  9. To receive reports from the Sub-Groups.
  10. To communicate regularly with the Ethics Committee and Health, Safety and Environmental Committee by way of an annual report.
  11. To escalate any complex proposals, persistent non-engagement, or issues with Schools, to the Ethics Committee for their consideration.
  12. To perform annual audit of proposals to ensure that the correct procedures are being maintained.

Ethics Review Sub-Group Terms of Reference

  1. To consider ethical issues relating to the research, teaching and innovation activities of the University which involves investigations on human participants with the aim of maintaining ethical standards of practice in research and facilitating valuable research. This can include work undertaken on University premises by persons other than the staff and students of the University.
  2. To meet on a monthly basis in those months that the Ethics Review Sub-Committee does not meet.
  3. To consider the ethical implications of individual proposals submitted via the online ethics system, LEON, for investigations involving human participants. Individual proposals will be considered on a monthly basis (during those months the Sub-Committee is not meeting). Decisions will be:
    • Favourable, with no alterations needed (may include requests for minor changes not requiring resubmission).
    • Favourable with conditions (Conditional). Feedback will be returned to the investigators. Investigators will have 30 working days after receiving the comments to respond. If investigators do not respond to the comments within 30 working days, the decision will change to unfavourable. Extensions and reminders regarding the deadline will be provided.
    • Provisional, further details required for review to be undertaken.
    • Unfavourable.
    Favourable opinions can be withdrawn, and research studies halted, if ethical issues arise during the progress of the study.
  1. To report regularly to the Ethics Review Sub-Committee.
  2. To escalate any complex proposals, persistent non-engagement, or issues with Schools, to the Ethics Review Sub-Committee for their consideration.