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The UCL Research Ethics Committee (UCL REC) is a strategic committee with overarching responsibility for research ethics policy, guidance and processes at UCL.
Research ethics is fundamental to UCL's mission as a world-class institution dedicated to the continued pursuit of original knowledge and scientific advancement to benefit humanity and the world of the future. Research ethics committees play a central role in ensuring that research meets the highest standards of academic rigour, transparency, accountability and ethics, to safeguard and empower participants
These high standards are essential for ensuring the highest quality research and maintaining the continued trust and confidence of the wider research community and the public.
What does the UCL Research Ethics Committee do?
The UCL REC has been established as a strategic committee with overarching responsibility for research ethics policy, guidance and processes at UCL. There are 3 subcommittees, including 2 to review both high and low-risk applications from non-Local Research Ethics Committee (LREC) areas:
- Life and Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee (LMS REC): Brain Sciences, Life Sciences, Population Health Sciences and Medical Sciences
- Humanities, Arts and Sciences Research Ethics Committee (HAS REC): Arts and Humanities, Bartlett, Institue of Education, Laws, Social and Historical Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences and Engineering Sciences
- The LREC Chairs Group: For the Chairs of UCL's 24 LRECs operating in faculties and departments, to facilitate the sharing of best practice and developing consistent approaches to emerging ethical issues.
Our 2 central reviewing committees will be multi-disciplinary with cross-UCL faculty representatives working in different fields and disciplines.
If you are enthusiastic about promoting ethical research practices and contributing to the advancement of knowledge at UCL, you may wish to consider joining one of our research ethics committees. Find out more about joining an ethics committee on our Become an ethics committee member page.
Research Ethics Committee Core Principles
All UCL research ethics committees must operate in accordance with the following core principles for the conduct of research ethics committees:
- Independence
Ethics committees mitigate conflicts of interests, maintain objectivity and avoid bias. Central reviewing committee membership is from a range of disciplines and includes external lay members, a constitution and terms of reference that guarantees freedom to make ethics judgements and reports to the UCL REC an overarching policy committee for oversight, performance monitoring and to manage appeals.
- Competence
Ethics committees ensure consistent, coherent and well-informed decision-making is upheld through membership which includes expertise covering the range of research that it reviews. Legal advice is provided by UCL legal services. The preparation of ethics applications and workload allocation is recognised as institutional work, established standard operating procedures and processes are regularly reviewed. Regular training is provided for REC members drawing on national and international developments in research ethics. RECs will not review the science, methodology or design of a study unless they contribute to the risks of a study to participants. Committees will not provide detailed proof reading but will assess participant facing documents to ensure they are fit for purpose. Committees do not review risk assessments (although relevant content may be included in applications) as that responsibility lies with the relevant department.
- Facilitation
Ethics committees are recognised as facilitating ethically sound research and for providing positive and valuable processes through ensuring a balance of care and enabling and supporting ethical research and innovation. Training is provided to researchers on ethics review, policy and processes to support autonomy and skills in reasoned ethics judgements. Reviews are processed efficiently and rapidly within defined timeframes with appropriate analysis of risk, proportionality of review and with an option for fast-track review. Application forms are clear requesting only necessary details and guidance and examples of information sheets, consent forms, invites and recruitment materials are provided to aid researchers. Opportunities are available for researchers to seek informal advice at any stage of the research. Researchers are encouraged to include the cost of preparing for ethical review when seeking funding.
- Transparency & Accountability
Ethics committees must have clear policies and processes for maintaining high standards of research ethics with clear record keeping and annual reporting.
Terms of Reference
The UCL Research Ethics Committee (REC) has the following delegated authority from Research Innovation and Global Engagement Committee (RIGEC):
To maintain strategic oversight of research ethics at UCL.
Policy
To develop and review institutional policy and processes on research ethics to ensure they remain fit for purpose and respond to evolving research and ethics.
To ensure that ethics policy and processes and are in line with the principles set out in the UCL Code of Conduct for Research, UCL’s commitments to equality, diversity, and inclusion, and best practice in governance.
To contribute to external policy debates and dialogues from an evidence-based perspective and working closely with relevant UCL stakeholders.
Research Ethics Review
To oversee the work of the reviewing subcommittees and to review and recommend any required changes to the research ethics governance structure.
To review and approve proposals for the establishment of new low risk Local Research Ethics Committee (LRECs).
To review research ethics applications where the Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator is a member of one of the reviewing committees.
To uphold the principles of academic freedom and free speech as set out in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 and the Office for Students’ Regulatory Advice 24, ensuring that ethical scrutiny does not unnecessarily suppress research which is controversial or poses reputational risk.
To receive and discuss reports from reviewing committees on complex ethical issues, recommending approaches, approving and implementing UCL-wide guidance and commissioning expert guidance where required.
Capability
To monitor and audit practice through the receipt of annual reports and to conduct other audits as required.
To monitor the ethics review process for evidence of unnecessary suppression of research.
To review and suggest improvements required to the research ethics IT system.
To ensure that appropriate training and advice is available for staff, supervisors and students on good practice in relation to the ethics of their research.
To develop, implement and review the system of appeals, complaints and adverse events or incidents reported regarding ethically approved research;
To report on an annual basis to UCL Research, Innovation and Global Engagement Committee an overview of the effectiveness of current ethics policy, practices and procedures in that reporting year
Members
- Chair: Professor Sarah Edwards, Department of STEaPP, Faculty of Engineering Sciences
- Professor George Letsas, Faculty of Laws (Chair HAS REC)
- Dr Rachel Knowles, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Faculty of Population Health Sciences (Chair LMS REC)
- Dr Arnaud Ruiz, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Life Sciences (Deputy Chair LMS REC)
- Dr Elisa Ruiz Burga, Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Population Health Sciences (Deputy Chair LMS REC)
- Dr Marie-Annick Moreau, Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences (Deputy Chair HAS REC)
- Professor Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, Department of Geography, Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences (Deputy Chair HAS REC)
- Dr Andrew Flinn, Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Chair, LREC Chairs Group)
- Gail Adams, Director, Compliance and Assurance, Research and Innovation Services, RIGE
- Alex Potts, Data Protection Office, Office of General Council
- Alex Hall, Office of General Council
- Professor Alison Koslowski, Office of the President and Provost (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion)
- Dr Nicolas Gold, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering Sciences (LREC Chair)
- Sarah Chaytor, Director of Research Strategy and Policy, Research Innovation and Global Engagement (RIGE)
- Postgraduate Officer, Students’ Union
- Research Students' Officer, Students’ Union