Before you begin an application for your research there are a number of planning and preparation activities you need to complete.
There are different policies, standards and legislation that apply to research and clinical trials, depending where you are doing your research in the UK.
The Health Research Authority website contains useful information on planning your research project, applying for ethical review, as well as what do when you want to make changes to your research project after ethical review.
Applications for ethical review are made via The Integrated Research Application System (IRAS). IRAS is a single system that allows you to apply for different permissions and approvals for health, social and community care research in the UK.
IRAS enables applicants to enter the information about their project once instead of duplicating information in separate application forms and uses filters to ensure that the data collected and collated is appropriate to the type of study and the permissions and approvals required.
Researchers are also able to find useful guidance relating to all approvals UK-wide within the ‘Help’ section on IRAS. This will also help you fill in your form correctly, ensuring you have the right permissions and approvals for your research.
Please email the ORECNI staff at info.orecni@hscni.net if you have any questions about the process of ethical review. Our experienced staff are here to help and will get back to you to help with any queries you may have.
NOTE: From Thursday 1 August 2024, changes to the requirement to submit annual progress reports and to what happens when you submit a safety report where applied to research studies reviewed by Research Ethics Committees across the UK.