Governance

Committees Reporting To Council

Joint Committees of The Council And Senate

7. Ethics Committee for Research Procedures

Composition

• A Chair, appointed by Council from amongst its lay members
• Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research - Vice-Chair
• The Dean of Postgraduate Studies
• One Academic Staff member from each of the Faculties of Arts, Science and Social Sciences
• Two lay members appointed by the Council, one of whom should be medically qualified or a health/social work professional, and one of whom should be leagally qualified
• Up to two members co-opted by the Committee

In attendance

• Registrar and Secretary
• head of Research Office
• Data Protection Officer
• The Health Safety and Environemt Advisor and subject expert may be invited to attend meetings of the Committee in an advisory capacity as appropriate.  Written advice may be sought prior to or subsequent to meetings if deemed useful.

Term of membership (for representative and lay members): 3 years with the possibility of another year's extension to allow for rotation

Terms of reference

1.    To consider all matters concerned with the ethics of research investigations involving human participants and tissue, 
       including the:
                       • purpose of the research
                       • research methodology
                       • appropriateness of the proposed involvement of human participants and appropriateness of the number of  
                          human participants to be recruited
                       • procedures for recruitment of participants 
                       • procedures for the care and protection of participants and researchers
                       • procedures for data confidentiality
                       • procedure for gaining informed consent and for providing participants with information about the research
                       • availability of suitable resources
                       • personnel involved
       The Committee has no remit to consider the ethics of research that does not involve human participation or tissue.
2.    To review proposals for research investigations and where appropriate to make recommendations directed at improving a
       proposal where issues of ethical concern arise.
3.    To monitor matters of ethics during the progress of approved research.
4.    To produce guidelines and documentation to facilitate the progress of ethics review.
5.    To produce an annual report for Senate and Council on the discharge of its responsibility.
6.    To produce occasional papers and facilitate occasional staff development workshops on issues concerning ethical review of
       research using human participants.
7.    To notify the Vice-Chancellor and Researcher when projects which have been reviewed by the committee and considered 
       ethically sound have potentially high risks for the University.
8.    To consider any other matter relating to the work of the committee.