Research Ethics & Compliance Support (RECS)
Who we are
Research Ethics & Compliance Support (RECS) ensures that all research activities conducted within UNSW meet the highest ethical standards and comply with relevant regulations and guidelines.Ìý
Our main objective is to protect the rights, welfare and safety of the participants involved in research, while maintaining the integrity and credibility of UNSW's research endeavors.​​​​​​
Login to our online research ethics and compliance system:
Our support services
Additional ethics & compliance support services are available to UNSW students and staff members on our .
- Biosecurity
- S4D, S8 & S9 controlled substances
- Radiation research
- Export controls
- Gene technology
Human research ethics
All research activities conducting studies with or about individuals, their data, or tissue samples require ethics approval. This includes the following activities:
- Taking part in surveys, interviews, or focus groups.
- Undergoing psychological, physiological, or medical tests or treatments.
- Being observed by researchers.
- Granting researchers access to personal information, documents, or other materials for a secondary purpose.
- Providing body organs, tissues, or fluids (e.g., skin, blood, urine, saliva, hair, bones, tumours, and biopsy specimens) or exhaled breath for collection and use.
- Sharing personal information, whether individually identifiable, re-identifiable, or non-identifiable.
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Researchers are required to apply for human ethics approval through the UNSW iRECS portal.
Ethical approval must be sought for research that involves human participants, their data, biological samples, or observations about them where:
- Information collected from or about human participants will be used to answer research aims or questions.
- Outcomes of investigations/exploration of research aims and questions will be presented or published for research purposes.
- Grant funding is provided to conduct research activities involving human participants.
- Quality assurance or improvement activities that trigger the requirement for ethical review.
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UNSW has three HRECs that are registered and certified with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), and are comprised of a minimum membership of eight including:
- a chairperson;
- at least two lay members, who bring a broader community or consumer perspective and who have no affiliation with the institution;
- at least two people with current research experience that is relevant to research proposals to be considered at the meetings they attend;
- at least one person with knowledge of, and current experience in, the professional care, counselling or treatment of people (e.g. a nurse, counsellor or allied health profession);
- at least one person who performs a pastoral care role in the community including, but not limited to, a chaplain or minister of religion or other religious leader;
- at least one member who is a qualified lawyer.
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HREC's responsiblities for ethics review, as well as other research review processes, including sub-committees and ethics review for low-risk research, are outlined in the UNSW Human Research Ethics Procedure. This document includes the HRECs terms of reference and standard operating procedures.
All research is reviewed and conducted within the guidelines set out in the .
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UNSW will consider requests from external organisations to undertake ethical reviews of research initiated or conducted by external institutions, organisations, or companies (external entities) a fee of $2500 plus GST is applied for each proposal.
Prior to commencing the review process, please send us an email (humanethics@unsw.edu.au) with the following information:
- A detailed summary outlining the research objectives, participant demographics, anticipated outcomes, and proposed assessment methodologies. This facilitates the reviewing Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) or Human Research Ethics Advisory Panel (HREAP) in evaluating their suitability for conducting the ethical review.
- A signed cover letter on the official letterhead of the external entity, duly endorsed by an authorised representative, supporting the Ethical Review Application.
Once RECS has received the complete documentation, the UNSW HREC or HREAP will conduct an ethical review. Upon completion, we will issue the review fee invoice and External Entities Agreement.
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- If ethical approval has been established from another NHMRC registered institution, consult with them to determine whether it covers UNSW research.
- Ensure data handling aligns with HREC approval or Participant Information Statements and Consent Form (PISCF). If not, get approval to transfer data from the approving HREC.
- Consult UNSW Legal or Grants Officer regarding the need for a data transfer agreement.
- Complete external ethics approval at UNSW (via the process) to acknowledge the approval.
Animal research ethics
UNSW personnel are required to obtain ethical approval for animal research via . For further guidance and information, please visit the RECS SharePoint.
The requires that all research (funded or unfunded) and teaching that uses animals must receive prior written approval from the UNSW Animal Care and Ethics Committees (ACECs). All animal research at UNSW is conducted in accordance with the UNSW Animal Research Ethics Procedure.
All individuals using animals for research or teaching purposes must be familiar with the as this document provides the practical and ethical framework which governs all scientific animal use in Australia. The Code promotes the ethical, humane and responsible care and use of animals used for scientific purposes and outlines the responsibilities of investigators, teachers, institutions, animal ethics committees and all people involved in the care and use of animals for scientific purposes. Further, the UNSW ACECs must review all animal research ethics applications in line with the Governing Principles of the Code and make a judgement on whether the proposed work is ethically acceptable and meets the requirements of the Code.
Veterinary care & animal welfare
The RECS Animal Care team has developed numerous resources* approved by the UNSW ACECs to provide up-to-date information on current best practices to safeguard animal wellbeing. Examples include:
- Guidelines on euthanasia, emergency evacuation humane killing, administration of substances, mouse rectal prolapse, rabbit gut stasis, formularies.
- Monitoring templates for cage-side monitoring, anaesthesia and post-surgery, tumour progression, aging mice.
- Project reporting templates for Drug tolerability studies, Pilot studies, Breeding studies, Unexpected Adverse Events, Animal Procedure Outcome Summaries.
*All documents can be supplied upon request.
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We offer the following animal care and ethics course to UNSW staff and external resaerchers:
- Animal Care and Ethics Online Course
- Animal Care and Ethics Refresher Course
Please contact animalcare@unsw.edu.au for registration details.
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To maximise resources and reduce waste, UNSW has implemented an animal transfer and tissue sharing program. This is managed by the RECS Animal Care Veterinary Team and approved by the ACECs.
Please contact animalcare@unsw.edu.au for further information.
Drones
UNSW holds a Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operator’s Certificate, overseen by the CASA-certified Chief Remote Pilot and Maintenance Controller, Dr Yincai Zhou, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Drone use at UNSW is outlined in the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Procedure.
UNSW staff and Students wishing to use a drone for research or teaching should consult the RECS Drone SharePoint site for further information on licensing and registration requirements at UNSW.
Operations at UNSW Kensington Campus
As UNSW Kensington campus lies within the 5.5km from Sydney airport, drone operations on campus . Drone operations using a micro-RPA (<250g) are permitted in areas away from flight paths without requiring approval from CASA. The is recommended to check your intended flight location. Further information on regulation and safety rules can be found on the .Ìý
If you are intending to operate a drone on UNSW campus, please contact RECS for advice. External licensed operators are required to apply under their own licence and are to inform RECS prior to operating a drone on campus.Ìý
Enquiries & complaints
UNSW has established a framework for staff, students and external stakeholders to ensure transparency and oversight of research aligned with RECS portfolios.
Enquiries, concern or complaints in relation to the conduct of UNSW research activities, or the UNSW ethical review process, are to be directed to the UNSW Director, Research Ethics & Compliance.