If the University of Sunderland is collaborating with another UK HEI and they are the lead partner, then the ethics review of the lead UK HEI should apply. However, this is subject to the condition that the other UK HEI ethics review procedure is robust.
The Ethics Administrator will decide if the ethics review procedure of the other UK HEI is sufficiently robust. To do this you must contact the Ethics Administrator providing:
- A copy, of the UK HEI’s research ethics application form to clarify whether or not the UK HEI’S ethics reviewers are reviewing applications against the same criteria as the University of Sunderland’s reviewers.
- Information on the ethics reviewers, including the number of ethics reviewers and details of their employers.
The Ethics administrator will review the information provided and confirm whether or not the institution´s ethics review procedure is deemed to be sufficiently robust.
If the procedure is deemed to be sufficiently robust, the researcher should then submit the project for ethical review via the approved procedure in the other institution.
Following the ethics decision from the lead UK HEI, the researcher must create a new ethics application in the University of Sunderland’s online Ethics Review System, selecting the option that confirms that the research is being led by another UK HEI and submitting copies of: the research ethics application form and a letter from the institution’s ethics body confirming its ethics decision with respect to the project.
If the procedure is deemed to be not sufficiently robust then University of Sunderland’s ethics review procedure will need to be followed.
With acknowledgement to the University of Sheffield