Guidance for BSMS staff

How to apply for ethics approval

• 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. 

• Please ensure you allow enough time (at least six weeks) for the review process when planning your research. Applications should be timed in advance of the intended start date to allow time for review and any amendments that may be required.
• A review slot must be booked at a scheduled RGEC meeting for the review of the application. These are available on request by contacting RGEC: rgec@bsms.ac.uk. (Review slots are required to manage the review volume at meetings and operate on a first come first served basis).
• Applications must be submitted online before 17:00 on the day of the submission deadline to be considered for review at the respective meeting. 
• A schedule of RGEC Committee and Sub-Panel meeting dates and submission deadlines is provided below. (Meetings are held monthly and applications can be reviewed at either a Committee or Sub-Panel meeting, depending on the preferred timeline for commencing the research). 

(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).

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.