HREC meeting dates & deadlines

Important information regarding submissions to the December 2019 HREC meeting

The Office for Research confirms that there is no cap on the number of projects that will be accepted for review by the Melbourne Health HREC at its meeting on Wednesday 11th December 2019. However, we are anticipating a large number of applications for this meeting and advise that the submission criteria will be applied strictly and in full, without exception. It is essential that anyone intending to submit an ethics application for review at the December HREC meeting notes the following important information regarding project submissions:

• The December submission deadline is strictly 11.00 am AEST, Wednesday 27th November 2019. Submissions received after this time will not be accepted.
• Submissions which do not comply in full with all required and applicable submission requirements will not be accepted.
• Researchers are strongly encouraged to ensure that their applications adhere to the instructions on the Office for Research website and that all required documentation is submitted and in the format required (e.g. full application by email and full application uploaded onto ERM).
• Any application received by the deadline but missing relevant documents or otherwise not fully compliant with submission requirements will not be accepted.
• Researchers are strongly encouraged to carefully check their applications and submit them as early as possible and before the deadline. This will allow projects to be reviewed in a timely manner prior to the meeting and provide an opportunity for any problems identified to be addressed prior to the deadline.

2019 HREC submission and meeting dates - 11 am deadline

2020 HREC submission and meeting dates - 11 am deadline

Review process

Submission of a new research project by the 11.00 a.m. deadline is not a guarantee that a project will be accepted for review by the HREC at its next meeting.

Following the submission deadline each month, all projects received will be carefully checked to ensure that projects meet the criteria required to allow a thorough review of the project. Any project not meeting these criteria in full will not be accepted for review at the next HREC meeting and will be returned to the principal researcher for attention.

Research governance or site specific assessment

There is no deadline for governance applications. Complete and submit your research governance application as early as possible.

Protocol amendments, replies to queries and serious adverse event reports

There is no deadline for these items and can be submitted at any time. Correspondence will be reviewed by the relevant project Spokesperson(s) as soon as possible after it is received. Final approval will be determined at the next scheduled meeting of the Human Research Ethics Committee following review by the Spokesperson(s).