Ethics review process
At the scheduled RGEC meeting, applications will be reviewed by two members of the Committee in addition to the RGEC Chair/Deputy Chair.
Applicants may be invited to discuss their application at the meeting or, can request to attend in person to respond directly to the Committee’s questions and facilitate the review. A request should be sent to rgec@bsms.ac.uk two weeks before the meeting date to allow discussion time to be accommodated in the meeting agenda. The application will receive one of the following decisions in Sussex Direct:
- Approved: No amendments to the application form or study documentation required.
- Returned for Revision: Studies which are either Conditionally Approved and require relatively minor amendments to the application and/or study documentation or, Provisionally Approved and require more substantial amendments to the application and/or study documentation.
- Not Approved: For studies which are ethically unsound or submitted in error.
The applicant will be informed of the outcome of the review via email. They will receive a letter summarising the feedback and an itemised list of changes required for approval, as well as those recommended for enhancement of the study. Conditionally Approved applications are reviewed via Chair’s Action. While Provisionally Approved applications require re-submission to a scheduled RGEC meeting.
How long does the review process take until approval?
The timeframe for approval will depend on the quality of the submission. On average, the process can take at least six weeks for full review and approval. It is therefore important that you submit your application in good time and when entering the dates of your proposed data collection that they are far enough in the future.