An ethics application must besubmitted in REAMS before research begins and if the research requires ethical review by one of the Faculty Research Ethics Committees the researcher must wait for the ethics review to take place and for ethical approval to be confirmed in writing before research begins. REAMS is for ethics applications for funded and unfunded research. To note, if research begins before ethical approval is confirmed in writing this will trigger a research misconduct investigation.
We strongly recommend that you do the University’s training on research ethics and research integrity before submitting an ethics application in REAMS. Links to the University’s training are on the ‘Training’ tab on this page.
Simply log in to REAMS with your University login to launch the application form by clicking on the button below. On the application form you will be asked to answer some preliminary questions which will determine the level of review that is required for your research. Although REAMS is intuitive, which means it will generate questions tailored to your research, it is important to answer the questions accurately so that REAMS can generate the correct follow up questions and direct your application into the correct workflow.
REAMS LOGIN
REAMS is designed to be intuitive for applicants and when the applicant launches the ethics application form in the system they are guided through the form which leads them from one question to the next. There are information buttons denoted by the letter ‘i’ in REAMS that are adjacent to most questions which applicants can refer to for help. Also, there are user guides available in the tabs below. However, for anyone who feels apprehensive about using REAMS we recommend that you watch this short video.
If you have any questions after watching the video, reading the guidance in the REAMS information buttons and reading the user guides contact your Faculty Research Ethics Officer for assistance.
Amendments’ within this context mean changes that you need to make to your ethics application after you have received written confirmation of ethical approval. Detailed guidance on amendments can be found here: Amendment guidance for REAMS Updated 2024-10-30.
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 the University’s ‘Approvals and Sponsorship’ webpage accessible from: - https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/research/research-services/clinical-research--trials/approvals-and-sponsorship-/ instead.
If you are unsure of whether your application needs NHS REC review you should refer to the HRA website and use the ‘HRA ethics toolkit’, there is a link to the toolkit on the University’s ‘Approvals and Sponsorship’ webpage. IRAS applications that need NHS REC review should be submitted directly to the Clinical Research Support Officers, by email to sponsorship@lancaster.ac.uk for processing.
IRAS applications which can be submitted in REAMS
For new applications which do not require NHS REC review, but do require HRA approval and Faculty Research Ethics Committee (FREC) approval the applicant should contact the Clinical Research Support Officers, in the first instance, by email to sponsorship@lancaster.ac.uk. The Clinical Research Support Officers will advise you on how to proceed with your IRAS application for sponsorship.
After the Clinical research Support Officers have finished screening your IRAS application you will use REAMS to submit your IRAS application to your FREC for review*.
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, the checklist supplied by the Clinical Research Support Officers, etc. The application will then be reviewed by your FREC in REAMS to comply with the University’s requirements.
Amendments to applications which required HRA approval and FREC approval
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*) will NOT be processed in REAMS. They will be processed by the Clinical Research Support Officers instead. Please follow the guidance below:
Amendments must be submitted directly to the Clinical Research Support Officers by email to sponsorship@lancaster.ac.uk as per the University guidance on NHS Sponsorship, under ‘Step 11’, accessible from this link: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/research/research-services/clinical-research--trials/university-sponsorship/#step-11--amendments-364087-12.
