Research Ethics

Research Ethics

These pages cover the governance of Research Ethics at the University of Glasgow. Our ethics policies, processes and support depends on the nature of the research, essentially "clinical" or "non-clinical":

  • Clinical Research (NHS): any research that involves NHS staff, facilities, patients, samples, tissue or data, the approval of an appropriate NHS research ethics committee must be gained before commencement. Researchers are advised to contact the University’s Research Governance Manager in the first instance.
  • Non-clinical Ethical Review process: College and School Ethics Committees exist within each College to support and review all (non-clinical) research projects involving human subjects, human material or data. This work is overseen by the University Ethics Committee.
  • Research involving animals should have approval through the University’s non-clinical Ethical Review Process and may require Home Office licences for the institution, the investigator and the project. Researchers should consider, at an early stage in the design of any research involving animals, the opportunities for reduction, replacement and refinement of animal involvement (the three Rs).
Three students looking at a monitor in computing class

Ethics (Non-Clinical)

Mandatory ethical review of all non-clinical research involving human subjects, human material or data

Exterior of the Wolfson Medical School building - night

Ethics (Clinical / NHS )

Where research is clinical, then researchers must contact the NHS Research Ethics Committee under the Department of Health/NHS framework.

Flowers and the entrance to the Small Animal Hospital

Openness in animal research

Animals are only used in research at Glasgow when there is no other suitable alternative available, and we are committed to the principles of the three Rs – replacement, refinement and reduction.

College Ethics Committees

Ethics Committee

The University Ethics Committee structure for non-clinical research involving human subjects

Our policies & guidance

Ethics Procedures for University Colleges in respect of non-clinical research involving human subjects, human material and data