The new Ethics Research Management System has been implemented within Victoria.
Researchers are now required to submit all New Research Applications and Post Approval Applications via the ERM website - excluding Audit and Quality Improvement Applications and Clinical Database and Database Application Submissions.
Please refer to relevant sections on the website for details on additional requirements and documentation to support your applications (including relevant Departmental sign-off's if required).
Please refer to this situation guide to assist in the transition to the new ERM system.
We thank you for you patience during this transition phase.
The Office for Research provides administrative support to Austin Health's Ethics Committees, who are responsible for approving research projects. In addition, staff provide advice and support to researchers with their ethics applications.
All research conducted at Austin Health must receive both ethical approval by a certified Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC), and governance authorisation by the Austin Health OFR before it can commence.
To assist with dertemining the risk associated with your research project, please refer the defintions document found here.
To assist with deciphering which risk category your research project comes under, please utilise the REx Submission Pathway Checklist found here.
All research involving human participants carried out at Austin Health requires the prior approval of the Austin Health Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC).
The Clinical Research Review Committee (CRRC) provide scientific and ethical review of Low & Negligible Risk Research (LNRR) projects on behalf of the HREC.
An audit is defined as an activity involving a prospective or retrospective review of information that has been or will be collected for clinical purposes (e.g. a review of a medical record). Quality Improvement (QI) is an organised process that evaluates, assesses and seeks to improve health service delivery to improve patient and population outcomes and health service efficiency.
Clinical Databases are collections of clinical data which have been created for clinical or administrative use. There are many such databases across the hospital; many of which have been created or modified to allow research as a secondary purpose.
This type of application relates to National Mutual Acceptance. It is required when the Austin is a participating site of a multicentre study, where ethical approval has been granted by an external lead HREC.
The Austin Health Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) is constituted by Austin Health with authority to approve and monitor all animal based research at Austin Health sites.
The Austin Health IBC is constituted by Austin Health with the authority to assess, review and approve all dealings involving genetically modified organisms at Austin Health.
Quick access to our ethics and governance forms, research agreement and research guidelines.