GB-Newcastle upon Tyne: T21/0023 - Ethics system

Business transaction and personal business software package. Miscellaneous software package and computer systems. The Research Policy team in Research and Innovation Services support and champion the research ethics and integrity agenda across the University and would manage the implementation of a new ethics online system, as well as support the triaging of applications. The team has seen a significant expansion and restructure which has enabled the introduction of a dedicated leadership role supporting ethics and integrity and a Research Ethics and Integrity Manager has been appointed to this role. The team are responsible for ensuring that actions are taken to embed the commitments of the Concordat to Support Research Integrity into the University's research environment and culture by supporting Research Ethics Committee and the Faculty Research Ethics Directors and Departmental Ethics Leads. The team are responsible for ensuring that external approvals via the IRAS system are completed and maintained with appropriate university level authority; undertake institutional audits and support other audits (e.g., safeguarding, health and safety); they provide advice and guidance on using the current Ethics Online System.

A future ethics online approval system must be suitable for use and capable of providing a user-friendly interface for students and staff to make an application for ethical review and obtain ethical clearance for research projects; this should include single sign on via the institutional global address list. The system must be capable of providing a user-friendly system for research ethics committee members to review applications for ethical review and for research administrators to confirm review workflows and conduct audits of applications and review processes. The system must be capable of providing a communications portal allowing multiple information and communication flows between applicants, reviewers and administrators. The system should be flexible and scalable and allow the number of users to be defined by the university and reviewed within the contract period. The number of users is expected to be 3500 applicants per annum and around 150 reviewers per annum within the period.

Four levels of functionality are required: for the applicant to make an application for ethical review; for the review system used by research ethics committee members to review applications, make comments and specify required revisions or to approve applications; for the communication of outcomes of review to the applicant; for system administrators to intervene in an application e.g. review pre-check, return to applicant, or reviewer, terminate.