Ethics and compliance subcommittees
The following are subcommittees of Research Integrity, Accountability and Compliance Committee (RIACC)
- National Statement Steering Committee
- Human Research Ethics Committees
- Animal Ethics Liaison Committee
- Chemical Hazards Subcommittee
- Institutional Biosafety Committee
National Statement Steering Committee
The Steering Committee is responsible for:
- overseeing the development of an ethical review structure providing for different levels of ethical review for research with different levels of risk;
- managing the implementation of an online research ethics approval system and consideration of issues arising as UniSA moves to a new ethics system;
- ensuring that the University is positioned to meet the requirements of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2007; and
- overseeing the changes to current Human Research Ethics Committee business processes.
Membership
- Professor Ian Richards (Chair, Chair HREC)
- Dr Janet Bryan (Deputy Chair HREC)
- Assoc/Professor Bernie Hughes (HREC member)
- Dr Margaret Peters (HREC member)
- Professor Mary Barton (Chair UniSA Animal Ethics Liaison Committee, Chair Institutional Biosafety Committee)
- Dr Mark Hochman (Director RIS)
- Ms Maria Zollo (RIS Manager: Research Capacity and Compliance)
- Ms Vicki Allen (RIS Ethics and Compliance Officer)
- Ms Alice Granger (Executive Officer)
Timeline
The second edition of the National Statement was effective in 2008 with institutions being required to report on compliance by the end of 2008. It is proposed that the online research ethics approval system will be operational by the end of 2009.
Human Research Ethics Committees
UniSA Human Research Ethics Committee
The University's Human Research Ethics Committee (UniSA HREC) considers staff research and research undertaken by Masters by Research, PhD and Professional Doctorate students as well as those projects which DECs are not able to approve. (Those things which must be considered by UniSA HREC are listed in the next section).
UniSA HREC is a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) established and operating within the guidelines of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). UniSA HREC is responsible to the NHMRC through Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) and operates within the guidelines developed by that body. UniSA HREC does not report to the University of South Australia Council via its subcommittee structure but instead reports to the Vice Chancellor through the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President (Research and Innovation).
Membership and terms of reference
UniSA HREC membership includes core community members
required under the NHMRC guidelines as well as academic staff of the
university with research expertise in disciplines from which ethics
applications are received.
Committee membership and terms of reference
Committee members and advisers
Meeting dates and submission details
UniSA HREC meets monthly (excluding January). Please check the
meeting schedule and submission details
Divisional Human Research Ethics Committees
Every division has at least one ethics committee (DEC). These committees are subcommittees of the UniSA HREC and can consider and approve ethics applications for undergraduate, honours, graduate certificate and diploma and masters by coursework projects. However, projects at these levels must be considered by UniSA HREC if they include one or more of the following:
- participation of Indigenous Australians who have been selected as research subjects because they are indigenous Australians
- artefacts that are of cultural, spiritual or religious significance to Indigenous Australians
- research participants might be placed in an unusually vulnerable situation
- potential risk (physical, emotional, social or legal) to individual participants' well being, beyond that normally encountered in everyday life, as a result of their involvement in the research
- administration or application of drugs - PLEASE NOTE that proposals involving cytotoxic drugs must also be considered by the Chemical Hazards Subcommittee of the Chemical and Biological Hazards Committee
- Clinical Trial Notification Scheme (CTN) documentation
- any reasonable likelihood that the research will result in the reporting of suspected child abuse
- any potential risk to the researcher's safety, beyond that normally encountered in everyday life as a result of their involvement in the research
- research into illegal activities
- potential legal implications for the researcher or the University
- funding (other than divisional funds) has been, or will be, applied for.
Committee Chairs, meeting dates and submission details
The executive officer of the divisional committee will be able to provide
you with advice including how many copies of the application to submit and
submission deadlines. Meeting dates, submission details
and contacts for divisional committees
Animal Ethics Liaison Committee
This committee reports to the
Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President (Research and Innovation)
Committee membership and terms of reference (University policy RES
3: Animal Experimentation)
Animal Ethics Liaison Committee members
All applications for approval of the use of animals must be
considered at a meeting of the IMVS Animal Ethics Committee (AEC).
Application deadlines and AEC meeting dates
Chemical Hazards Subcommittee
Chemical Hazards Subcommittee terms of
reference
(RTF file)
Chemical Hazards Subcommittee members
Institutional Biosafety Committee
Institutional Biosafety Committee
terms of reference (RTF file)
Institutional Biosafety Committee
members