Overview
Research projects which are not eligible for proportionate review at Departmental/Faculty level will be reviewed by one of the Research Ethics Committees/Review Body listed below.
Each Committee/Review Body aims to consider applications and provide robust and proportionate advice on the ethical implications of projects, liaising directly with researchers in a supportive and constructive way.
The relevant Committee/Review Body for a research project will be determined depending on the ethical issues raised by the research question, nature of data to be collected, type of participant to be studied and possible misuse of results/materials arising from the project.
For more information on the types of research considered by each committee consult the types of research table.
External & Sponsorship Committee
This Committee will consider 2 main types of applications:
Applications previously reviewed by an external agency (i.e. projects being migrated to the University, or are part of a bigger consortium where a favourable ethical opinion has already been obtained, etc) and/or
Applications for research linked to accessing the NHS, or MoD where University Sponsorship is required.
This Committee is Chaired by Professor David Brown and mostly operates on a virtual basis in a responsive mode to expedite decisions.
View the External & Sponsorship Committee Terms of Reference here.
Composition of the Externally Reviewed & Sponsorship Committee can be found here.
Biomedical Science Research Ethics Committee
Review projects in the biosciences that involve data from human participants that do not fall under the NHS sponsored projects. This Committee is Chaired by Professor James Betts and meet once a month.
For more information about this Committee please see the Terms of Reference and membership here.
For information about meeting dates and deadlines for submission of ethics forms please see here.
Data & Digital Science Research Ethics Committee
Internal review of applications involving the use of social media as data, where large amounts of data are being handled; consider projects involving AI, machine learning and associated themes. Responsible for contributing to the development of guidance and resources for managing digital risks and addressing ethical concerns for the University as well shaping standards for data collection, sharing and use of norms and practices more broadly. This Committee is Chaired by Dr Julian Padget and meet once a month.
Data & Digital Science Research Ethics Committee Terms of Reference can be found here and memberships details here.
For information about meeting dates and deadlines for submission of ethics forms please see here.
Social Science Research Ethics Committee
Consider projects involving human participants that do not require Sponsorship and are outside of the remit of the 3 committees above. This can include projects from social sciences, natural sciences, psychology, engineering and architecture (not an exhaustive list). This Committee is Chaired by Professor David Ellis and meet once a month.
View the Social Science Research Ethics Committee Terms of Reference here and details of membership here.
For information about meeting dates and deadlines for submission of ethics forms please see here.
Animal Welfare & Ethics Review Body
Consider applications from projects involving the use of animals (non-humans) or their tissues.
View the University’s Procedure for ethical review when using animals here
View the University’s Code of ethical practice for research involving animals here.