Project procures new tool for improved ethics management process

A new tool for use in processing ethics approval requests and management has been procured for use across the University, as part of a recent project.

The University currently receives 6,500 ethics applications every year – a number which is expected to increase over the coming years. Currently, these applications are processed by various methods in different areas of the University, primarily involving the use of forms and emails, which can be labour intensive, in particular if processing a large volume of applications.

The development of a single ethics system would allow for more consistent business processes, as well as centralised reporting across the University. The new tool will also allow for increases in the number of applications being handled, including ethics applications from undergraduate research projects.

The ethics processing tool, supplied by Infonetica, a software solutions expert that works with universities worldwide. The tool will be implemented with the Edinburgh Research Office, Research Information Systems and teams within each of the University’s colleges.