Find your research ethics committee (REC contact list)

Who to contact regarding your ethics proposal or query

This page provides a list of the Research Ethics Committees (RECs) at the University. For details about the University RECs, their members and local ethical review procedures, visit the REC website or email the contact person.

University RECs

Department and Faculty-level RECs

Most departments have their own REC or a system to apply for ethical review from a School-level REC. You should check local arrangements in your department/faculty.

School-level RECs

There are 4 School-level RECs that review research projects involving human participants and personal data. Before applying, check if your department/faculty has its own REC or a way to apply to a School-level REC.

University Research Ethics Committee (UREC)

The UREC is the overarching Committee at the University of Cambridge for the consideration of ethical issues arising from research that involves human participants and personal data.

University Research Ethics Committee (UREC) Terms of Reference.

University RECs

School of Biological Sciences:

  • Cambridge Psychology REC
    • Considers applications for ethical review for research programmes in human psychology at the University of Cambridge, where these do not come under NRES review. The Committee is constituted from senior members of Departments from which applications are most commonly made.
    • For further information on the Committee, including membership and how to make an application for ethical review, please see their website.
    • Contact: SBSEthics@admin.cam.ac.uk
  • Human Biology REC
    • Considers applications for ethical review for research programmes in human biology at the University of Cambridge, where these do not come under NRES review. The Committee is constituted from senior members of those Departments from which applications are most commonly made.
    • For further information on the Committee, including membership and how to make an application for ethical review, please see their website.
    • Contact: SBSEthics@admin.cam.ac.uk

School of Humanities and Social Sciences:

  • HSS REC
    • Considers ethics applications from researchers in the arts, humanities and social sciences at the University. The Committee considers cases that cannot be, or would not be appropriate to be, dealt with at a local level.
    • Contact: HSSREC@admin.cam.ac.uk

School of Technology and School of Physical Sciences:

If you do not see your faculty or department above, it does not have a local REC. 

In such instances, there is normally a local process to support researchers to seek ethical review from a School-level REC. Please check and follow your local process. 

For example, you may need to submit an ethics application to the School-level HSS REC through your departmental administrator or another local contact point.

If you do not see your faculty or department above, it does not have a local REC. Seek guidance or submit an ethics application to whichever of the School-level RECs in the School of Biological Sciences is appropriate.

Please note, depending on the nature of your research, you may need to seek NHS ethical review externally.

If you do not see your faculty or department above, it does not have a local REC. 

In such instances, there is normally a local process to support researchers to seek ethical review from a School-level REC. Please check and follow your local process. 

For example, you may need to submit an ethics application to the School-level HSS REC through your departmental administrator or another local contact point.

Local RECs:

Please seek ethical review directly from the Joint School REC, if you are based in one of the following departments in the School of Physical Sciences:

  • Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics
  • Astronomy
  • Earth Sciences
  • Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences
  • Materials Science and Metallurgy
  • Physics
  • Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics
  • Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

If you work in a non-School institution in the University that does not have a local REC, you should normally seek ethical review from the most relevant School-level University REC.

External RECs

In some instances, you may need to apply for ethical review from an external REC in the UK or overseas.

Please note: where the external body advises that ethical review by that body is not required, the Lead Researcher should submit an ethics application to the relevant University REC in accordance with the University ethical framework.

External RECs

If your research involves NHS patients, their relatives and carers, or NHS data, you must seek NHS ethics review as part of the wider HRA Approvals process. In addition, research involving human tissue, prisoners or adults lacking capacity, Clinical Trials of Investigative Medicinal Products (CTIMPs) requires NHS ethical review. 

Use the HRA toolkit to understand what approvals are required and for further information. The Clinical School Research governance team can also give appropriate advice.

If you answer 'yes' or 'unsure' to ALL three questions below, MoDREC ethical review is likely to be required:

  1. is your project funded by the MOD, or does it involve MOD-employed staff or participants?
  2. is your project ‘research’?
  3. are human participants involved?

Read the Ministry of Defence REC JSP 536 Part 2: Guidance for further information.

All research with human participants or using personal data is expected to follow the UREC guidance on ethical review of overseas research available in the research ethics handbook (see p32).