National Research Ethics Service

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NRES announcements

Closure of the Cambridge and Leeds REC Centres and the relocation of the administration of RECs
03 May 2013 The Cambridge and Leeds REC Centres closed on the 31st March and the administration of RECs from those Centres has been moved to the Nottingham, Jarrow, Manchester and London Centres.
Ethical review of generic advertising for Phase I studies
12 April 2013 To ensure consistency, all generic advertising for Phase I studies will now be reviewed centrally by a Committee made up of three Phase I Committee members.
Changes to the review and approval process for Phase I studies
09 April 2013 Phase I study applications may now be booked to the REC in advance with the application being submitted up to midday, seven days before the REC meeting to ensure a more time efficient service for Phase I studies. However, for some RECs this may be limited to one Phase I application per meeting.
Future of IRAS
18 December 2012 In August 2012, the HRA announced that RECs and MHRA electronic submissions through IRAS had been put on hold pending further review. Since this announcement, work has proceeded on an interim IRAS release package.
Applications for Proportionate Review
14 November 2012 From Monday 19 November 2012, all studies which are to be reviewed via the Proportionate Review (PR) system will be booked centrally via the HRA NRES Centre Manchester using a dedicated telephone number and e-mail.
RECs Flagged to review research which uses qualitative methodologies
08 November 2012 Twenty-two NRES Research Ethics Committees are now Flagged to review qualitative research.
New arrangements for the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (GTAC)
06 November 2012 The Health Research Authority (HRA) Board, in its capacity as the Appointing Authority for the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (GTAC), agreed new arrangements for ethics applications to GTAC at its Board meeting on 25 October 2012.
HRA Ethics Officer Pilot
17 October 2012 The Health Research Authority is conducting a pilot to consider whether the introduction of ethics officers, providing a number of functions including early assessment of an application and study documentation and the early provision of advice, can improve favourable opinion rates and thus reduce timelines and the administrative burden on researchers and committees.
Relocation of London REC Offices
16 July 2012 The London REC Offices have moved to a unified London and South East REC Centre, at the Headquarters of the Health Research Authority at Skipton House.
Insurance and compensation in the event of injury in Phase 1 clinical trials
27 June 2012 The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), the BioIndustry Association (BIA) and the Clinical Contract Research Association (CCRA) have jointly published guidance on insurance and compensation for Phase I clinical trials.