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National Research Ethics Service
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Health Research Authority
National Patient Safety Agency - National Research Ethics Service - facilitating and promoting ethical research
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The Role of RECs

The Health Research Authority establishes the NRES Research Ethics Committees.  NRES RECs safeguard the rights, safety, dignity and well-being of people participating in research in the National Health Service.
They review applications for research and give an opinion about the proposed participant involvement and whether the research is ethical.

NRES RECs are entirely independent of research sponsors (that is, the organisations funding and hosting the research) and investigators.  This enables them to put participants at the centre of their research.

Each year, NRES RECs review around 6,000 research applications.  On average, they give an opinion in less than 40 days: well within the maximum allowance of 60 days.