I. Background
The University is committed to advancing high quality academic research and ensuring that any research activities which involve human participation or personal data are undertaken in such a way that the dignity, rights, health, safety, and privacy of those involved are safeguarded.
The General Board have noted a number of significant changes over recent years which have reinforced the case for a University Ethics Policy to be devised and monitored by a University Research Ethics Committee. These include requirements by research sponsors that all applicable sponsored research is subject to prior ethics approval; a continuing trend towards collaborative research; developments in UK and EU legislation and policy concerning research ethics.
The Research Policy Committee agreed in December 2005 to set up a Working Group to consider the appropriate structure for discharging the University's responsibilities under the growing research governance frameworks. In the light of the recommendations of this Group, the Research Policy Committee recommended to the General Board that a central University Research Ethics Committee be established and charged, inter alia, with:
| (a) | the co-ordination of the continual development and dissemination of the University's research ethics policies; and |
| (b) | the consideration of ethical aspects of research applications referred to it by any relevant body (or where no appropriate body exists) bearing in mind that the University's current ethics committees do and will continue to provide the scrutiny of the vast majority of cases. |
The General Board have consulted Councils of the Schools and have approved this recommendation.
II. University Research Ethics Committee
1. The General Board have agreed to establish a University Research Ethics Committee which shall consist of:
| (a) | the Chairman of the Human Biology Research Ethics Committee1; |
| (b) | the Chairman of the Psychology Research Ethics Committee; |
| (c) | a member of the Cambridge Local Research Ethics Committee; |
| (d) | one person appointed by the General Board who shall be Chairman, provided that the General Board shall have power to appoint as Chairman a person who is already a member of the Committee in one of classes (a), (b), (e) or (f); |
| (e) | two persons appointed by the General Board who shall not be resident members of the University; |
| (f) | up to four persons appointed by the General Board on the nomination of the Councils of the Schools to ensure appropriate representation of areas of research involving human participants or personal data; |
| (g) | one member of the University, in statu pupillari, appointed on the nomination of the Graduate Union; |
| (h) | not more than two persons co-opted by the Committee, provided that it shall not be obligatory for the Committee to co-opt any person or persons. |
2. The appointment of members in classes (d)-(f) shall be made in the Michaelmas Term for periods of four years from the following 1 January. Members shall be eligible for reappointment. Co-opted members shall serve until 31 December of the year in which they are co-opted or of the following year, as the Committee shall determine at the time of their co-optation. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), the Academic Secretary, the Director of the Research Services Division, and the Director of Human Resources shall have the right to attend meetings of the Committee. The Secretary of the Committee shall be the Academic Secretary or a duly appointed deputy.
3. Six members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum. The Committee shall:
| (i) | devise a University policy for approval by the General Board for the consideration, approval, and monitoring of research projects involving human participants or personal data, including the establishment of specialist sub-committees, where appropriate, to cover specific areas; |
| (ii) | monitor the implementation of this policy, establish associated procedures, and recommend to the Board any changes that are considered necessary in the light of experience; |
| (iii) | consider and decide on any application for approval of research involving human participation or personal data which is referred to the Committee by one of its sub-committees or by any other relevant body; |
| (iv) | establish, implement, and keep under review a procedure for considering appeals against decisions made by sub-committees to withhold, suspend or withdraw approval of a research project which it considers to contravene University policies or procedures on research involving human participants or personal data; |
| (v) | consider and advise on training provision for those involved in considering applications for research projects involving human participants or personal data and for those undertaking such research; |
| (vi) | receive and consider annual reports from the ethics subject sub-committees; |
| (vii) | report annually to the General Board on (i)-(v) above. |
1 The Human Biology Research Ethics Committee falls within the School of the Biological Sciences and considers applications from staff and students of the University for ethical approval of research programmes in fields within its scope involving human participants, except in the field of human psychology where applications are considered by the Psychology Research Ethics Committee. The Cambridge Local Research Ethics Committee normally considers applications from all departments within the Clinical School. It is an advisory committee to the Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority and is independent of the NHS Trusts and the University.