All research conducted at the university requires ethics clearance, as mandated by section 4.11.4 of the General Academic Rules, approved on 16 November 2023. The NWU policy stipulates that all research, including MSc and PhD student projects, and any research conducted by staff and post-doctoral associates, whether funded or unfunded, must undergo an independent ethics review.

Within FNAS, no research can commence without obtaining an ethics number, which serves as proof of ethics review. The responsibility for securing this ethics number lies with the principal investigator or the student’s primary supervisor.

Scope

FNASREC specifically reviews studies with no (zero) or low risk to humans involved or the environment and does not fall under the jurisdiction of other committees, such as the Health Research Ethics Committee (HREC), ANIMPRODREC, AnimCare-REC, or EMELTEN-REC. The committee conducts thorough ethics reviews of all submitted applications to promote the well-being, safety, and protection of individuals and communities involved in research in alignment with the NWU Research Ethics Policy.

The faculty has two research ethics committees (RECs) that are available to review research proposals. The choice of an internal committee to use is dependent on the subject matter and the associated risk level in alignment with the RECs’ scope given below.

1. FNAS Research Ethics Committee (FNASREC)

FNASREC is responsible for reviewing research within the Faculty that poses zero or low risk and does not fall under the jurisdiction of other committees.

2. FNAS Animal Production Ethics Committee (ANIMPRODREC)

ANIMPROD is responsible for reviewing research relating to animals and animal health within the Faculty.

There are several other Research Ethics Committees (RECs) within the university. Their contact information appears under the “Other RECs” tab.

FNASREC Ethics Review Process

To apply for ethics approval within FNASREC, simply initiate an application by following the instructions on the “ADEP System” tab. When preparing your application for ethics review, it is essential to emphasize the ethical considerations of your study, ensuring that it respects the rights, safety, dignity, and well-being of participants. The ethics review process is designed to protect these values and does not hinder research but rather requires that risks are adequately justified by the potential benefits.

Before an application is submitted for ethics review, it should be subjected to an independent scientific review process, which is typically undertaken within the research centres, units and scientific/proposal/subprogramme committees found in FNAS. The scientific review process assesses the scientific merits of the proposed research and is a requirement across the ethics processes implemented in the NWU.

You may consult this document for a comprehensive description of the roles and responsibilities of scientific and ethics committees.

Exclusion Criteria

The following research does not fall under the scope of FNASREC:

• Research with medium or high risk, as well as studies with health-related themes, with animal subjects or involving vulnerable participants (the full list appears on this page). If you are unsure which REC you need to apply to, the scope for the different committees is outlined in this document and the contact information for the respective RECs appears under the “Other RECs” tab.
• All research involving animal subjects, falling outside of ANIMPRODREC, should be submitted to the Animal Research Ethics Committee (AnimCareREC) for review.
• All health and health-related research should be submitted to the Health Research Ethics Committee (HREC) for review. Health-related research includes studies conducted by non-health disciplines focusing on health-related topics, participants, or infrastructure, aiming to enhance the bio-psycho-social well-being of humans or animals. If unsure of the nature of your study, use this decision key. 
• All research involving human participants that are identified to be vulnerable (e.g. minors, incapacitated or disabled individuals) should be submitted to the Education, Management and Economics Sciences, Law, Theology, Engineering and Natural Sciences Research Ethics Committee (EMELTENREC).

Additional Notes

The NWU has gone through a series of updates of ethics procedures over the years. Below are some of the recent updates for noting:

• Researchers are required to submit annual review reports to facilitate the passive monitoring of all FNASREC-approved projects.
• All lower invertebrate studies previously approved by FNASREC are subject to ongoing monitoring by FNASREC.
• All small project (students involved or not) applications related to a larger study previously approved by FNASREC should be submitted to FNASREC for review.
• Studies approved by FNASREC that involve the use of NWU secondary data (staff, students, or systems/departments/laboratories data originally gathered for other purposes than research) must be submitted to the Research Data Gatekeeper Committee (RDGC) for gatekeeper approval.