Guidance for BSMS staff

How to apply for ethics approval

Applications to RGEC will be reviewed via one of two pathways. Applications considered to be of lower complexity may be reviewed outside of a scheduled Committee meeting. Those considered to be of higher complexity will continue to be reviewed at a meeting. Applications will be triaged on submission to determine which pathway they will follow. Applicants will be notified of this decision.

Submission ahead of the deadline does not guarantee a slot at the meeting if it is oversubscribed. You will be notified whether your application is being considered at the meeting.

(Please note the deadlines and meetings only refer to Staff/PGR applications. UG/PGT applications are reviewed by a School Research Ethics Officer (SREO), unless deemed high risk).

• The ethics application can be submitted by either the PI or a member of the research team in Sussex Direct.
• To be eligible for ethics review staff must be employed by the University of Sussex or a clinical academic with an Honorary Contract (and not ‘Honorary Title’) at BSMS.*  *Please note ‘Honorary Contract’ and ‘Honorary Title’ denote different relationships with the University. An Honorary Contract is equivalent to a substantive employment contract with the University of Sussex, while an ‘Honorary Title’ is not. Honorary Contract holders may be named as PIs and lead BSMS research sponsored by the University of Sussex and insured under the University’s insurance policy. Be aware that applying for an Honorary Contract can take a minimum of two months since it is equivalent to a substantive employment contract in all except direct payment of salary. The status of the Honorary Contract holder’s legal relationship with the University must be established well in advance of: 
  • An application for funding of research; 
  • Application to the BSMS Research Governance and Ethics Committee (RGEC) for ethics review of the research.

This is to ensure the research can be sponsored by the University. Honorary Contract holders are entitled to a BSMS IT account including access to resources required for University-sponsored research such as research data storage (OneDrive and SharePoint). Contact Sarah Cox, interim Senior HR Business Partner via S.J.Cox@sussex.ac.uk, who will be able to advise further on obtaining a suitable contract. 

Ethics review process

All applications will be reviewed by two members of the Committee in addition to the SEM: BSMS FREC Chair/Deputy Chair. If an application is being considered at a scheduled SEM: BSMS FREC meeting, the applicant may request to attend the meeting in person although this is not necessary/mandatory as part of the review process. 

All applications will be reviewed by two members of the Committee in addition to the SEM: BSMS FREC Chair/Deputy Chair. If an application is being considered at a schedule SEM: BSMS FREC meeting, the applicant may request to attend the meeting in person although this is not necessary/mandatory as part of the review process. A request should be sent to SEMFRECBSMS@sussex.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 Ethics RM:

• Approved: No amendments to the application form or study documentation required.
• Change Request: Studies which require changes to the application before they are ready to be approved. The committee requires to see the application returned.
• Conditionally Approved: require relatively minor amendments to the application and/or study documentation. The Committee does not need to receive the application back.
• 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. 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. 

How long does the review process take until approval? 

All conditionally approved applications and a majority of provisionally approved applications will be reviewed via Chair’s Action. In some cases of provisional approval, the re-submission will also be considered by the original reviewers.

If you would like to discuss your research before submitting your application, drop in sessions are held weekly via Teams from 2-3pm with Alice Ashford (Senior Research Ethics and Integrity Officer) and Dr Valerie Shilling (SEM: BSMS Chair). To access the Teams links, please visit the ‘Help applying’ webpage.