(Last updated 12 September 2025)
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. A summary of the changes are now available on the NHMRC website.
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 has now introduced a mandatory peer review process for all submissions.
The Human Ethics Peer Review Checklist and further details is available under Submission processes and reporting.
Local Authoriser Guidance
A new guidance document for Local Authorisers to support the review of ethics application submissions is now available under Submission processes and reporting. This provides 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 Authorises are encouraged to refer to this document each time they review an application for endorsement.
Additional resources for ethics applicants
A comprehensive Application Toolkit is currently being developed to support applicants throughout the ethics application and review process. The first resource in this toolkit is now available under Application resources and guidance.
Additional resources are currently in development and will be released progressively as they are finalised.
Please contact the Ethics Office if you have any questions.