Secretariat
Dr Helen Brownlee - Secretary (Research Integrity Manager, RIN)
Membership
Dr Kate Russell - UREC Chair (Associate Professor in Physical Education - EDU)
Dr Catherine Jere - Deputy UREC Chair (Associate Professor in Education and Global Development, DEV)
Dr Ra Mason - Deputy of the Deputy Chair (Sasakwa Associate Professor in the School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies, PPL)
Dr Graham Riley - Member (Chair AWERB)
Dr Catherine Jere - Member (Chair DEV S-REC)
Dr Boon Han Koh - Member (Chair ECO S-REC)
Dr Victoria Warburton - Member (Chair EDU S-REC)
Dr Paul Linsley - Member (Chair FMH S-REC)
Dr Ra Mason - Member (Chair HUM S-REC)
Professor Zografia Bika - Member (Chair NBS S-REC)
Dr Tom Sambrook - Member (Chair PSY S-REC)
Dr Helen Pallett - Member (Chair SCI S-REC)
Dr Georgia Philip - Member (Chair SWK S-REC)
Professor Colin Cooper (Associate Dean for Research, FMH)
Professor Claire Jowitt (Associate Dean for Research, HUM)
Professor Maria O'Connell (Associate Dean for Research, SCI)
Dr Maren Duvendack (Associate Dean for Research, SSF)
Ms Ellen Paterson - Member (Data Protection Officer, ISD)
Hilary MacDonald - Lay Member (Age UK Norfolk)
Dr Helen Brownlee - Secretary (Research Integrity Manager, RIN)
Acronyms:
AWERB – Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body
DEV – School of Global Development
EDU – School of Education and Lifelong Learning
ECO – School of Economics
FMH – Faculty and Medicine and Health Sciences
HUM – Faculty of Arts and Humanities
ISD – Information Services Directorate
NBS – Norwich Business School
PSY – School of Psychology
RIN – Research and Innovation Services
SCI – Faculty of Science
SSF – Faculty of Social Sciences
SWK – School of Social Work
Terms of Reference
Objectives
The University Research Ethics Committee (UREC) oversees the University’s Research Ethics Subcommittees (S-RECs) and sets the strategic direction for research ethics and research integrity within UEA. It reports to the Research Executive, Senate and Council. It operates to:
• define the University's Research Ethics Policy and operational principles.
• achieve high standards of research ethics review and contribute to the development of a positive culture of integrity and ethics in research.
• promote good practice in research.
• support researchers to adopt best practice in relation to ethical, legal and professional requirements.
• support the University’s commitment to the 2019 revised Concordat to Support Research Integrity.
Membership
The principles concerning the membership of the UREC are listed below.
• Require the Chair to:
- be a senior research active member of UEA staff with a sound knowledge of the principles of research ethics and their application to research.
- be appointed by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation.
- have a Deputy who will amongst other duties cover for the Chair during periods of absence and to avoid any conflicts of interest.
- ideally, the Chair and Deputy Chair should be from different Faculties covered by the Committee.
• Have the following members:
- each S-REC Chair or their nominated Deputy.
- a co-opted expert member(s) as required.
- the Associate Deans for Research or their nominated Deputy.
- the University’s Data Protection Officer.
- at least one Lay Member.
- a Secretary.
Duties
The UREC has balancing duties to protect participants and the wider public, the University and its researchers, and duties to facilitate the highest professional standards of research integrity and empower responsible researchers. These duties include:
1. The UREC produces a clear policy on ethics review and approval that is available to all those involved in research and using research techniques.
2. The UREC develops and undertakes scheduled and periodic reviews of the University’s Research Ethics Policy, the Guidelines on Good Practice in Research, the Procedures for Dealing with Allegations of Misconduct in Research and other relevant Research Integrity documents to ensure they remain fit for purpose. These documents are referred by the UREC to the Research Executive and Senate for approval.
3. The UREC identifies areas of best practice and disseminates these across the University. It is responsible for identifying and responding to strategic developments relating to research ethics and research integrity, both within and outside the University.
4. The UREC promotes awareness of research ethics and ethics processes throughout the University and ensures that all researchers are aware of, and understand the policies and processes relating to ethics approval by its S-RECs. The UREC Chair attends meetings, for example, of the Faculty Research Committees and Faculty LTQ Committees as appropriate, to cascade ethics information and promote awareness.
5. The UREC Chair receives details of surveys, focus groups and interviews etc. for market research/research for internal evaluations and other similar purposes, for example internal staff surveys (e.g. Athena Swan), workshops, marketing and outreach activity using research techniques or consultations carried out by / within / on behalf of UEA, undertaken by the University's Central Services and the University's Students' Union for ethics review and approval.
6. The UREC Chair undertakes the review of any submission where the S-REC Chair has determined that retrospective review may be appropriate, and provides definitive guidance to the S-REC Chair on problematic/sensitive cases or interpretations of ethics review requirements.
7. The UREC may carry out any of the functions of the ethics review described in the Terms of Reference for the S-RECs.
8. The UREC produces an Annual Research Integrity Report, submitted to the Research Executive, Senate and Council in compliance with the UUK’s Concordat to Support Research Integrity (2016). The Report includes a breakdown of the ethics applications submitted to the S-RECs and UREC for review during a reporting year: 1st August - 31st July.
9. All UREC members have a responsibility to ensure they have up-to-date knowledge of the frameworks, standards and obligations that apply to their work and areas of expertise/subject areas.
10. The UREC Chair and UREC Secretary briefs new S-REC Chairs on the University’s Research Ethics Policy and UREC matters before they take up their role.
11. The UREC meets three times a year in January, May and October.
12. The UREC may meet on an extraordinary basis, as circumstances dictate, to ensure that the S-RECs are able to meet their Terms of Reference, including:
• hearing appeals against the decisions of its S-RECs;
• reviewing the remit and functioning of the S-RECs in light of changing research activity profiles, and
• considering any new statutory or professional responsibility and advising the relevant S-RECs on the implementation of that responsibility.
13. The UREC approves the core documentation used by its S-RECs for reviewing research proposals.
14. The UREC monitors the activity of its S-RECs and it may also instigate periodic audits of the reviews and decisions of S-RECs as routine, or where there are any causes for concern, for example adherence to their Terms of Reference and remit.
15. The UREC may carry out periodic audits of research studies approved by UREC and S-RECs. Such an audit programme will be determined by the requirements of legislation and funders, the risk assessment of individual studies, and concerns raised by adverse event reports or suspicion of research misconduct.
16. The UREC Chair provides advice to Faculties relating to the creation of new S-RECs and approves the establishment of any new S-REC.
17. The UREC Chair provides relevant/appropriate advice to S-REC Chairs/Members and others within the University about issues relating to research ethics and integrity.
The Workload Allocation should reflect this range of duties.