Applicants

Any member of staff or MPhil/PhD student that needs to submit an application for review at their Faculty Research Ethics Committee. REAMS will inform you if your project is suitable to be submitted in the system based on the answers to the initial questions you provide, however, please contact your REO if you are unsure.

Supervisors

A member of staff that needs to review or sign-off an ethics application by a PhD student.

Ethics Officer

A member of staff assigned to a Faculty to overview, assign and manage ethics applications.

Reviewers

A member of staff assigned to review a specific application. They can either recommend the application for approval or return it to the applicant for re-submission.

Chairs

A member of staff with the authority to approve or reject applications.

The system can be accessed remotely via the web. You do not have to be on site or connected to the Lancaster University VPN. We recommend using a desktop PC, laptop or tablet for the best user experience. We also reccommend using Google Chrome as a browser as REAMS is optimised for Google Chrome.

To access REAMS you just require your Lancaster University email and password to sign in.

You can access REAMS at:

• Applicants & Supervisors
• Reviewers/REO/Chair/Admin

There are user guides available. There are also hints and help text within the system as you progress through the application.

As an Applicant, before you proceed with an application, please ensure you have the following information:

• Any relevant documentation for upload such as consent forms, participant information sheets and debrief sheets
• An up-to-date contact number for your PI
• An ACP or Agresso code (for funded projects)

Introduction

To note, the guidance below does not apply to IRAS applications that need NHS REC review. An example of an IRAS application that needs NHS REC review is one where NHS patients will be recruited to participate in a research project. This type of project cannot be processed in REAMS and the applicant should follow the guidance on our Sponsorship & Regulatory Approvals webpage instead. If you are unsure of whether your application needs NHS REC review you should refer to the HRA website and use the ‘decision tool’ which are available under Step 1. IRAS applications that need NHS REC review should be submitted directly to the Clinical Research Support Officer, by email to sponsorship@lancaster.ac.uk for processing.

IRAS applications which can be submitted in REAMS

For new applications which require HRA approval and Faculty Research Ethics Committee (FREC) approval the applicant should use REAMS to submit their IRAS application form to their FREC for review; if they are naming Lancaster University as their sponsor on the IRAS form*. (An example of an IRAS application that requires HRA approval and FREC approval is where NHS staff only will be recruited to participate in the project). For this type of IRAS application, the applicant should answer the questions in REAMS to indicate they need HRA approval from the NHS. When prompted in REAMS the applicant must also upload their IRAS form in pdf format and all supporting documents including, but not limited to: participant information sheets, consent forms, interview questions, etc. The application will be processed and reviewed by the FREC in REAMS, in the first instance.

If the applicant has not already done so they should also contact the Clinical Research Support Officer, email sponsorship@lancaster.ac.uk, to let them know that they have submitted their IRAS application in REAMS for FREC review.

Amendments to applications which required HRA approval and FREC approval

(*For example, this would apply to IRAS applications for projects which involve NHS staff only as described above).

Amendments to this type of project will NOT be processed in REAMS. They will be processed by the CRSO, Clinical Research Support Officer instead. Please follow the guidance below:

Amendments must be submitted directly to the Clinical Research Support Officer by email to sponsorship@lancaster.ac.uk as per the University guidance under step 11.