All research undertaken within RIMAP requires ethical approval. It is the responsibility of staff and students to ensure that they obtain the necessary ethical approval for research work from the relevant Committee. The ethical application must receive approval before any fieldwork commences.

The purpose of the committee is to provide ethical oversight for all research-based activities conducted by postgraduate students and staff within RIMAP and to ensure that research undertaken within the Institute meets the requirements of the University Research Ethics Committee (UREC).

The panel, which draws from different disciplinary areas, will review the ethics applications and offer feedback as required. The committee will appoint an ethics officer. The final approval for any programme of research will be given by the Chair of the RIMAP Institute Ethics Committee, the Director of RIMAP.

The Chair or Nominee must sign off all research bids and proposals for external funding as having ethical approval and this will be formally recorded in the minutes of the panel. All research bids for external funding are forwarded with a recommendation to UREC for ethical approval.

Postgraduate students should complete the RS1 Ethics application before any research work is done beyond a literature review. This should be discussed in detail with the Director of Studies and supervisory team prior to submission and include any supporting documentation, such as a questionnaire, informed consent form, participant form etc at the time of submission.

If any substantial changes are made to the research design, the sampling approach or the data collection methods, a further ethics application to the Committee is required.

The RS1 Ethics form with the outline of the research project and supporting documents should be submitted fully signed to the Director of the Research Institute, Dr Nicola Darwood nicola.darwood@beds.ac.uk

Further research ethics documentation can be found in the Research Graduate School - research ethics

Staff should consider the ethical aspects of research when submitting the initial application for a grant or funding. An application for Ethical approval must be made for all successful research bids. All externally funded must be approved the RIMAP Ethics Committee prior to initiation of the project.

Staff should allow for the time that this may take and under no circumstances should research begin until ethical approval is received.

Applications from staff should be made electronically to the Director of the Research Institute, Dr Nicola Darwood nicola.darwood@beds.ac.uk