Meeting schedule and application deadlines
Please note:
- Applications are due at 12 midday on the due date. Applications received after midday on the 'Due date for agenda items' will be held over to the next meeting, without exception.
- Incomplete and/or unauthorised applications will be returned to the researcher for completion. It is recommended that applications are submitted to the relevant signatory at least one week prior to the deadline to ensure the signatory has sufficient time to thoroughly review the application and supporting documents prior to submission by the researcher to the Ethics Office.
Full meetings 2023
Full Committee meetings are held each month. Only above low risk applications are considered at these meetings. Low risk applications are considered at low risk meetings.
Meeting No: | Application deadline 12.00 midday | Meeting date |
---|---|---|
FM 1/23 | Friday 27 January, 12pm | Wednesday 8 February |
FM 2/23 | Friday 24 February, 12pm | Wednesday 8 March |
FM 3/23 | Friday 31 March, 12pm | Wednesday 12 April |
FM 4/23 | Friday 28 April, 12pm | Wednesday 10 May |
FM 5/23 | Friday 2 June, 12pm | Wednesday 14 June |
FM 6/23 | Friday 30 June, 12pm | Wednesday 12 July |
FM 7/23 | Friday 28 July, 12pm | Wednesday 9 August |
FM 8/23 | Friday 1 September, 12pm | Wednesday 13 September |
FM 9/23 | * Thursday 28 September, 12pm | Wednesday 11 October |
FM 10/23 | Friday 27 October, 12pm | Wednesday 8 November |
FM 11/23 | Friday 1 December, 12pm | Wednesday 13 December |
Low risk meetings 2023
Low risk meetings are held twice monthly. Only low and negligible risk applications can be considered at these meetings. Above low risk applications must be considered at a full meeting.
Meeting No: | Application deadline 12.00 midday | Meeting date |
---|---|---|
LRM 1/23 | Friday 27 January, 12pm | Wednesday 8 February |
LRM 2/23 | Friday 10 February, 12pm | Wednesday 22 February |
LRM 3/23 | Friday 24 February, 12pm | Wednesday 8 March |
LRM 4/23 | Friday 10 March, 12pm | Wednesday 22 March |
LRM 5/23 | Friday 31 March, 12pm | Wednesday 12 April |
LRM 6/23 | Friday 14 April, 12pm | Wednesday 26 April |
LRM 7/23 | Friday 28 April, 12pm | Wednesday 10 May |
LRM 8/23 | Friday 12 May, 12pm | Wednesday 24 May |
LRM 9/23 | Friday 2 June, 12pm | Wednesday 14 June |
LRM 10/23 | Friday 16 June, 12pm | Wednesday 28 June |
LRM 11/23 | Friday 30 June, 12pm | Wednesday 12 July |
LRM 12/23 | Friday 14 July, 12pm | Wednesday 26 July |
LRM 13/23 | Friday 28 July, 12pm | Wednesday 9 August |
LRM 14/23 | Friday 11 August, 12pm | Wednesday 23 August |
LRM 15/23 | Friday 1 September, 12pm | Wednesday 13 September |
LRM 16/23 | Friday 15 September, 12pm | Wednesday 27 September |
LRM 17/23 | * Thursday 28 September, 12pm | Wednesday 11 October |
LRM 18/23 | Friday 13 October, 12pm | Wednesday 25 October |
LRM 19/23 | Friday 27 October, 12pm | Wednesday 8 November |
LRM 20/23 | Friday 10 November, 12pm | Wednesday 22 November |
LRM 21/23 | Friday 1 December, 12pm | Wednesday 13 December |
Review outcomes
Approved
- Approval has been granted to undertake the specified project for the period listed on the approval notification.
- Maintaining Ethics Approval is contingent upon adherence to all Standard Conditions of Approval as listed on the approval notification, or approval may be withdrawn by the HREC.
- It is the responsibility of the Chief Investigator to ensure the Ethics Office is contacted immediately regarding any proposed change or any serious or unexpected adverse effect on participants, and to submit Annual/Final reports on the dates listed on the approval notification, or subsequent amendment approval notification.
- The HREC may conduct random audits and/or require additional reports concerning the research project as part of the requirements for monitoring, as set out in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research.
Approved with comment
- The Committee have made comments regarding your project that should be noted by the research team, as they may be helpful.
- Approval has been granted to undertake the specified project for the period listed on the approval notification.
- Maintaining Ethics Approval is contingent upon adherence to all Standard Conditions of Approval as listed on the approval notification, or approval may be withdrawn by the HREC.
- It is the responsibility of the Principal Researcher to ensure the Ethics Office is contacted immediately regarding any proposed change or any serious or unexpected adverse effect on participants, and to submit Annual/Final reports on the dates listed on the approval notification, or subsequent amendment approval notification.
- The HREC may conduct random audits and/or require additional reports concerning the research project as part of the requirements for monitoring, as set out in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research.
Provisional approval
- Your application is close to approval, however minor amendments are required.
- Return to the Ethics Officer a copy of the 'provisional approval' notification as a cover sheet, with your responses addressing each issue, point by point, explaining clearly how each of the matters raised has been addressed.
- Include a copy of any amended document, e.g. Plain Language Information Statements, Consent forms, or advertisements.
- You may need to review aspects of your application and/or supporting documents to successfully progress your application to an approval notification.
- Highlight all amendments made in your application, or amended supporting documents.
- Provisional approval responses are reviewed by the HRE Chair. Re-submission to a meeting is not required.
- Following a review of your responses and any amended documents, you will be issued with a new outcome notification.
- Provisional approval responses that do not strictly meet the response protocol will not be reviewed by the HRE Chair.
- Researchers must respond and resubmit their application within a 6 month period after receipt of the outcome.
- Research must not commence until your project is approved.
Approval withheld
- Applications receiving this outcome indicate the HREC had significant concerns about the project in its current presentation, which need to be addressed.
- A re-written application with all supporting documents will need to be re-submitted through the normal channels, to be re-assessed by the full committee at a standard meeting.
- An expedited application receiving this outcome, may need to be resubmitted using a standard application in order to provide information not required in the low risk application - this will be advised on the notification. If this occurs, the application will need to be reassessed by the full committee at a standard meeting.
- Include a copy of the 'withheld outcome' notification as a cover-sheet to your re-submitted application. Your responses to each issue addressed point by point, explaining clearly how each of the matters raised has been considered. Include all amended text in your response, that has been added to the new application and/or supporting documents.
- Note: A response merely stating that the relevant issues have been addressed in the attached application/documentation is not acceptable, and the application may not be reviewed.
- In addition, highlight all amended text within the new application and supporting documents, for easy visual reference of the committee in re-assessing the application.
- The re-submission must be a complete application: include all supporting documents whether they required amendment or not, and authorised by all required signatories.
- Refer to Step 4 for advice on how to re-submit your application.
- Following the committee's review, you will be issued with a new outcome notification.
- Resubmitted applications that do not meet these protocols will not be reviewed by the HREC.
- Be aware that review of the revised application may result in new concerns and new queries being raised by the Committee.
- Researchers must respond to resubmit their application within a 6 month period after receipt of the outcome.
- Research must not commence until your project is approved.
Not approved
- Applications receiving this outcome indicate the concerns raised by the Committee are serious, and this application will not be reviewed.
- Refer to the National Statement (PDF, 600kb) and FedUni Policies,procedures and guidelines for assistance in preparing any subsequent HRE application.
- In these instances, the HRE Chair is available to offer guidance in understanding the National Statement, policies, procedures and guidelines, and answer any question or concerns you may have when preparing a new application.
- Research must not commence on this project.
Appealing against an outcome notification
- Researchers who wish to appeal against any decision made by the HREC committee about their research project or express concerns about the ethics administration process, they should direct their concern to the Ethics Office.
- The Ethics officer will consult with the researcher and the Chair of the HREC, and if appropriate, the relevant Associate Dean, Research
- The Ethics officer will advise the applicant of the outcome of the consideration of their complaint.
Projects approved by another HREC
Federation University adopts the recommendation of the National Statement, Chapter 5.3, to eliminate unnecessary duplication of ethical review. As such, projects approved by another NHMRC registered Human Research Ethics Committee or delegated negligible/low risk review body are recognised by Federation University Australia HREC. This may include:
- Collaborative projects hosted by another institution with Federation University researcher(s); and
- Projects transferred from another institution by a new staff member.
However, for insurance purposes, any projects involving Federation University staff and research students must be registered as an Externally Approved Project.
- Collate supporting documentation, including at a minimum; a) Evidence of HREC approval including reference number and approval date; and b) Approved application in full, along with all recruitment and participant materials, and data collection tools.
- Send the supporting documentation to the Ethics Office at research.ethics@federation.edu.au
Note:
Externally approved project requests may be submitted at any time and will be reviewed outside of the meetings schedule above.
If possible, the approved application and all supporting documentation should be submitted as a single pdf file in the following order:
- HREC approval
- Approved application form
- Recruitment material
- Plain Language Information Statement
- Consent form
- Data collection tools
- Other supporting documentation