NOTICE BY THE GENERAL BOARD
University Research Ethics Committee
Amended by Notice (Reporter, 2012–13, p. 443)
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 Committee;
- (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
and approval 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.