Do I need ethical approval?
Every application for funding received by the HRC must be subjected to independent ethical assessment by an accredited ethics committee. Research using animal or human participants, animal or human materials, personal information, or involving clinical trials, or combinations of such studies, requires special consideration. Further guidance on what requires ethical approval, and the ethical approval process, can be found in the HRC Guidelines on Ethics in Health Research and the Operational Standard for Ethics Committees.
The HRC considers that ethical approval is best sought before submitting an application to the HRC, but accepts that this may not always be possible. Every application for HRC funding must contain a fully signed ethical agreement page, which states that appropriate ethical approval for the research has been or will be obtained. No application approved for funding by the HRC will have funds released until a copy of the final ethical approval, from an accredited ethics committee, is received.
How to apply for ethical approval
To apply for ethical approval you must submit an application for ethical review to an accredited ethics committee. The National Application Form for Ethical Review of a Research Project must be used. Further information on the process of ethical review is available here.
Where to apply
There are two types of accredited ethics committees that conduct ethical review of applications received by the HRC:
- Health and Disability Ethics Committees
- Institutional Ethics Committees
Below are some specific considerations, and relevant resources, that you may need to take into account for your particular research:
Observational Studies: Observational Research, Audits and Related Activities
Is your study an observational study? Observational studies include observational research (which primarily adds to generalisable knowledge about a health or disability issue) and also audits and related activities, (which primarily improve the delivery of the particular health or disability support service being studied or to control a threat to public health).
Observational studies are where the investigator has no control over study variables and merely observes outcomes, and observational studies differ from intervention or experimental studies in that no intervention other than the recording, classifying, counting and analysing of data takes place.
Intervention Studies/Clinical Trials
Is your study an intervention study? In an intervention study, an investigator intervenes to prevent, diagnose or treat illness or disease, and also studies the effects of the intervention for its safety and/or benefit. A clinical trial of a new blood pressure medicine is an example of an intervention study.
Māori Health Research
Does your study involve Māori participants or research on issues relevant to Māori health? You may need to consider initiating consultation with Māori to develop your research project in a culturally appropriate way.
Pacific Health Research
Does your study involve Pacific peoples living in New Zealand? You may need to consider the Pacific ethical standards of research.
Other
Does your study involve children? Does your study involve genetic research? Does your study involve the use of human tissue for future unspecified research purposes?
