2: Reducing duplication

Last updated on 30 Nov 2021

Research projects involving people, their tissue or their data must get a number of approvals before they can go ahead, including ethics and legal and governance checks. Before the HRA, researchers had to make separate applications to get research ethics approval, and to apply for legal and governance approvals. We changed that, and have continued to make improvements ever since.

Reducing duplication by centralising and standardising processes saves money and time and allows everyone involved to focus on doing good research.  

Scroll down to see some of the ways that we are reducing duplication

Reducing duplication

Over half of applications to the HRA are for research that will take place in multiple places, from 2 to over 300 sites. Reducing duplication can have a big impact.

HRA Approval

Introduced in 2016, HRA Approval brings together research ethics review and governance and legal review, meaning that researchers wanting to do research in England and Wales can submit one application for both. Before this, local governance and legal checks were repeated at each place where research was going to take place.

  • easier for researchers
  • removed duplication
  • freed up time for study sites to focus on the research

Technical assurances

We are rolling out UK-wide technical assurances for studies that need them. Our radiation assurance provides national ionising radiation reviews and our pharmacy assurance a single technical pharmacy review. Each of the NHS/HSC sites where research is planned to take place can use the UK-wide assurances to support them in arranging the capacity and capability to participate.

  • removes some variation and duplication

Model agreements

We’ve created template agreements that save time setting up research studies and that make sure that the interests of people taking part are protected and promoted. This increases the speed and efficiency of study set-up while protecting everyone’s interests.

  • better for researchers, sponsors and patients
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