What approvals may I need?
Health or social care research involving patients, their tissue, and or data requires a Medical sponsor (clinician responsible for patients care, tissue or data).
A research study approval generally requires:
Scientific Approval
Ethical Approval
Legal & IP clearance
Data protection clearance
Financial clearance
We aim to appraise all 5 elements in a one step process in order to reduce barriers to conducting good research and allow it to happen in a timely fashion.
Planning
Is it research?
If your project is to derive generalizable new knowledge by addressing clearly defined research questions relevant to health and social care, by means of systematic and rigorous methods, this is classified as research.
It is likely to require the 5 step approval.
Contact email if you are uncertain as Research Governance is responsible for determining the appropriate approval pathway for projects.
If your project is:
- to understand if a service is following best practice guidelines, or if the care is being delivered effectively
- to assess the effectiveness of a service or of an intervention already in place
- to implement new practice with no research question
You will not need 5 step approval.