Applications
All research involving human participants, or their data requires prior written approval from the HREC before any data collection can begin. Researchers must carefully follow the application process to ensure timely review.
Applications from TUT staff or students should be submitted via their respective Faculty Committee for Research Ethics (FCRE) offices.
Applying for Ethical Clearance
Researchers seeking full review must complete the HREC-01 Application for Ethical Clearance form. This requires submission of a complete research proposal, informed consent documents, a Turnitin similarity report, supervisor CVs, proof of student registration (where applicable), and gatekeeper permissions from the relevant organisation if data will be collected outside TUT.
Application form_Ethical Clearance
For any applications that include ‘non-therapeutic’ health research with minors as the research participants, please note that researchers should submit the completed Ministerial Consent document available at: https://www.health.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/NHREC-Minors-Ministerial-Consent-Operational-Guidelines-2015-Health-research-with-Minors-Ministerial-Consent-Operational-Guidelines-2015-1.pdf.
Expedited Review
For studies classified as minimal risk or requiring urgent approval, researchers may apply through the HREC-02 Expedited Review process. Eligibility for expedited review is determined by the Committee in line with the Standard Operating Procedures.
Amendments and Revisions
If the HREC requests revisions, applicants must respond using the HREC-09 Memo of Revisions. This form allows researchers to provide detailed responses to Committee comments and submit amended versions of their proposals.
Supervisor and Researcher CVs
Supervisors and researchers must provide up-to-date CVs with their ethics application, the CV template - HREC-08 CV Form can be utilised for this purpose, ensuring transparency in qualifications and supervisory capacity.
Submission Timelines: All applications must reach the HREC Secretariat at least 14 working days before the scheduled meeting. Proposals received late will be deferred to the next review cycle.
The meeting dates for new submissions that require ethical approval, for the 2025 academic year is as follows:
The meeting dates for resubmissions, for the 2025 academic year is as follows: