National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research 2024
The NHMRC has released a new 2025 version of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, effective 1 October 2025. Key changes include a revised Section 4 on ethical considerations specific to participants in research.
UniSQ is updating its ethics procedures and HRE application to align with the new guidelines. Researchers are encouraged to stay informed and check back regularly for further guidance and resources.
Mandatory Peer Review
As part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing the quality of human research ethics applications, the Office for Research will soon introduce a mandatory peer review process for all submissions.
An updated Peer Review Checklist and further details will be shared shortly. The ethics application form is also being updated to support this change.
Local Authoriser Guidance
A new guidance document for Local Authorisers will soon be circulated to support the review of ethics application submissions. It will provide clear advice on key considerations during review, delegation of the authorising role, and aims to improve the overall quality of applications submitted for ethical review.
Local Authorisers will be encouraged to refer to this document each time they assess an application. Its release will coincide with the updated ethics application form and Peer Review Checklist.
Additional resources for ethics applicants
A comprehensive toolkit is currently being developed to support applicants throughout the ethics application and review process. It will be released as soon as it's ready and aims to provide practical guidance and resources to assist with each stage of submission.
Please contact the Ethics Office if you have any questions.