Research Ethics & Compliance Support (RECS)

Researchers are required to apply for human ethics approval through the UNSW iRECS portal.

Ethical approval must be sought for research that involves human participants, their data, biological samples, or observations about them where:

• Information collected from or about human participants will be used to answer research aims or questions.
• Outcomes of investigations/exploration of research aims and questions will be presented or published for research purposes.
• Grant funding is provided to conduct research activities involving human participants.
• Quality assurance or improvement activities that trigger the requirement for ethical review.

UNSW has three HRECs that are registered and certified with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), and are comprised of a minimum membership of eight including:

• a chairperson;
• at least two lay members, who bring a broader community or consumer perspective and who have no affiliation with the institution;
• at least two people with current research experience that is relevant to research proposals to be considered at the meetings they attend;
• at least one person with knowledge of, and current experience in, the professional care, counselling or treatment of people (e.g. a nurse, counsellor or allied health profession);
• at least one person who performs a pastoral care role in the community including, but not limited to, a chaplain or minister of religion or other religious leader;
• at least one member who is a qualified lawyer.

HREC's responsiblities for ethics review, as well as other research review processes, including sub-committees and ethics review for low-risk research, are outlined in the UNSW Human Research Ethics Procedure. This document includes the HRECs terms of reference and standard operating procedures.

All research is reviewed and conducted within the guidelines set out in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research.

UNSW will consider requests from external organisations to undertake ethical reviews of research initiated or conducted by external institutions, organisations, or companies (external entities) a fee of $2500 plus GST is applied for each proposal.

Prior to commencing the review process, please send us an email (humanethics@unsw.edu.au) with the following information:

• A detailed summary outlining the research objectives, participant demographics, anticipated outcomes, and proposed assessment methodologies. This facilitates the reviewing Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) or Human Research Ethics Advisory Panel (HREAP) in evaluating their suitability for conducting the ethical review.
• A signed cover letter on the official letterhead of the external entity, duly endorsed by an authorised representative, supporting the Ethical Review Application.

Once RECS has received the complete documentation, the UNSW HREC or HREAP will conduct an ethical review. Upon completion, we will issue the review fee invoice and External Entities Agreement.

• If ethical approval has been established from another NHMRC registered institution, consult with them to determine whether it covers UNSW research.
• Ensure data handling aligns with HREC approval or Participant Information Statements and Consent Form (PISCF). If not, get approval to transfer data from the approving HREC.
• Consult UNSW Legal or Grants Officer regarding the need for a data transfer agreement.
• Complete external ethics approval at UNSW (via the iRECS process) to acknowledge the approval.

We offer the following animal care and ethics course to UNSW staff and external resaerchers:

• Animal Care and Ethics Online Course
• Animal Care and Ethics Refresher Course

Please contact animalcare@unsw.edu.au for registration details.

To maximise resources and reduce waste, UNSW has implemented an animal transfer and tissue sharing program. This is managed by the RECS Animal Care Veterinary Team and approved by the ACECs.

Please contact animalcare@unsw.edu.au for further information.