Low risk project submissions

According to The NHMRC National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2023), low-risk research poses no foreseeable risk greater than discomfort.

To conduct research studies within the CALHN, both ethics approval and governance authorisation are required for all low risk projects. Submission types include:

• Ethics and Governance reviews: all research projects that involve a CALHN site and that are not ethically approved by an NMA certified HREC require CALHN ethics and governance review. Further information on the NMA scheme and participating sites is available from the NHMRC website.
• Governance review: where a research proposal is approved by a SA Health HREC or interstate NMA HREC a governance review is required. Please note: Low-risk applications are not considered under the NMA scheme by SA Health, other than where a full HREC has reviewed the application.
• Ethics review: Research projects conducted at an SA Health site that require ethical approval. Please contact the relevant research governance office for the initial governance review to ensure compliance with their site specific requirements before submitting to CALHN research office for ethics review.

For all submission types, an Ethics and Governance Application (EGA) form must be submitted for assessment by the CALHN Expedited Review Panel (ERP).