Answers to the questions in the Minimal Risk Form will determine whether a project is truly minimal risk.

The completed Minimal Risk Form and accompanying documents will be reviewed by Chair. The Chair reserves the right to judge whether a project actually fits into the minimal risk category, and may choose to refer the application to the Ethics Committee. In this case, the Ethics Officer will contact the researcher with a request that a full application form be completed and submitted to the Committee.

NB : In projects that fulfil the requirements for minimal risk treatment, it is important to note that the Information Sheet and Consent Form are the main documents, and that these documents must convey:

• the reasons for the project
• who is undertaking the project and why
• the aims of the project
• why the participants have been selected and how this is important to the research
• the rights of participants, including anonymity, confidentiality, voluntariness, withdrawal
• ethics contacts

If there are further matters that researchers submitting minimal risk applications believe should be brought to the attention of the Chair in order to fully inform the Chair of the project, these can be included in a separate sheet or on the actual minimal risk form (which in respect of some questions gives applicants space to explain their responses).

Projects that have received approval from another ethics committee should download the “Approval from Other Ethics Committee” form and submit to HREC Administration