Research Governance Application Form Guidance

This guide will help you complete the Coventry HDRC Research Governance application form. Please read it fully before completing the form. It provides useful questions and pointers to consider when completing the application form. 

The application form should normally be completed by the main researcher. Answering the questions on the form in the most detailed and comprehensive way as possible will allow us to fully assess your application. Any applications that are not fully completed will be sent back to the researcher.  

If you require a paper version of the application form, please contact the Research Governance Officer CoventryHDRC@coventry.gov.uk  

Before you begin, please ensure you have read the Research Governance Policy. The policy and the research governance process will only apply to projects that fully or partially focus on the wider determinants of health.  

What information will I need to provide?  

When you begin the application, you will be asked to create a profile. Once this has been done, you will be able to save your progress and return to your application at any time. Once it has been submitted, please contact the Research Governance Officer at CoventryHDRC@coventry.gov.uk if you have any amendments.  

To complete this form, you will need to provide the following information:  

• Aims/objectives of the project  

• Details of those involved in the project  

• Details of your line manager/supervisor  

• Details of a sponsor  

• Details of any ethics approvals  

• Costs and details of any funding  

It would also be helpful if the following documents could be submitted along with your application:  

• Consent form  

• Participant information sheet  

• Questionnaire  

• Privacy notice  

• Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA)  

• DBS certificate (if required) 

Recruitment documents help people make informed decisions about whether to participate in a research study. Template recruitment documents are available on Coventry HDRC’s website for you to download and use.  

Once you have submitted your application, you will not be able to make further changes. 

1. Project type 

• Have you used the Medical Research Council and NHS Health Research Authority decision tool https://www.hra-decisiontools.org.uk/research/ to check whether your project is research? 

2. Research project title 

• Please provide the title of your research project. 

3. Researcher details  

• Please provide information about all relevant parties involved in the project. If they are not yet known, this information will need to be provided before the project can start.  

• If the project is being carried out as part of a formal university qualification, you will need to include this information in this section. 

• If an academic institution is involved in the project, please include this information. 

• Please add details of any previous research experience, including where you have undertaken or led research projects. 

• If anyone involved in the research project, including the researcher, the research team or collaborators, have any direct personal involvement (e.g financial, shareholding, personal relationships, etc) in Coventry City Council or if a possible conflict of interest is likely to arise, please include details in the relevant section. You may wish to refer to the Research Governance Policy and the Council’s Constitution for further information about conflict of interests.  

4. Is your project within scope? 

• All projects, which wholly or partly focus on issues concerning the wider determinants of health, will be subject to Coventry HDRC’s review and approvals process.  

• Anything that falls outside of this scope will be recorded by Coventry HDRC, but the project will not be subject to Coventry HDRC’s review and approvals process.  

• Responsibility for the project will remain with the researcher/research team.  

5. Sponsor details 

• Health and Social Care research projects require a 'Sponsor' who takes ultimate responsibility for the initiation, management and financing of the project, and ensures that appropriate indemnity arrangements are in place. Health and Social Care research aims to find out new knowledge that could lead to changes in health treatments, policies or care. 

• It is the researcher’s responsibility to identify a project sponsor. A sponsor is usually the organisation which employs the main researcher or the funding organisation.  

• The Research Sponsor will ensure: 

• Researchers are supported and held to account for the professional conduct of research 

• Proposed research is worthwhile and offers value for money 

• Responsibilities of the organisations and individuals involved are clearly defined and agreed, and that the contracts are signed where required 

• Progress of the research project is monitored 

• Appropriate insurance or indemnity arrangements are in place 

• For internal applicants, a sponsor could be the researcher’s Line or Service manager. 

• For further guidance about research sponsorship, you may wish to refer to NIHR Research Support Service’s guidance.  

6. Resource and funding details 

• If you require any resources to be provided by the Council, please include it in this section.  

• Please include the estimated cost of the research project, which should include the costs of preparation, conducting, analysing and communicating your findings. Details of any funding attached to the project, including the name of the funder and the amount, should also be included.  

7. Ethics approval 

• If your project has received external ethics approval, please include details here, including the name of the relevant ethics committee and a copy of the approval.  

8. Research project details 

• In this section, you can either answer the questions or complete the research protocol template and upload it.  

Planned start and date of research 

• The start date should be at least 3 weeks from the date you submit your application.  

Background 

• Please provide a lay summary of your project. This summary should be easily understood by someone who is not an expert in this area.  

• Include definitions and explanations of any terms, a breakdown of aims and methods.  

Aims and objectives 

• State the research question and aims.  

Research methods 

• Give details of the research methods 

• Is the research qualitative (statistical), quantitative (seeking experiences or views, evaluating quality) or mixed methods? 

• Who your research will target (e.g. certain populations, communities, staff) 

• How many participants/sampled will be selected/involved 

• How participants will be approached and recruited 

• Where participants will be recruited from 

• Where the research will take place 

• What steps you have taken to consider equality and diversity issues in your research plan  

Recruitment 

• Include the total number of participants and the rationale for the sample size. Also include details of any sampling strategy used, if relevant. 

• Give details of any inclusion/exclusion criteria. 

• Does the participant group include vulnerable adults or children or Coventry City Council staff? Give details of any experience the researcher has of working with this participant group, including details of any relevant training.  

• How will participants be recruited? Include details of recruitment methods and materials, and how they will be identified/screened/approached and by whom.  

• Explain what steps you have taken to consider equality and diversity, plus details of any actions or mitigations.  

• If you will be giving participants any incentives for their participation, please explain why. 

• If the researcher or research team will have direct contact with participants, give details of any risk assessments that have been taken to ensure the safety of participants and researcher/research team. Explain the risks identified and measures taken to mitigate risk.  

• Explain what support will be provided to participants if they become distressed during or after participation? 

• Explain the withdrawal of consent process, how it will be explained to participants and what they need to do if they wish to withdraw. 

Informed consent 

• How and when informed consent will be obtained- written, verbal etc. provide details and justification. Justification must also be provided if informed consent will not be sought or if consent will be assumed (please note this needs to be appropriate to the study type). 

• Who will be taking consent? What training has been undertaken for this? 

• When and how potential participants will be issued with the information leaflet, in what format and how long they will be given to consider taking part? 

• Does the study involve children- if so, will consent be obtained from parents, if not provide clear justification why not. 

• If the study involves vulnerable adults, explain how consent will be obtained 

• Are the informed consent materials appropriate for the target audience- consider age / language / literacy levels / cultures etc. 

• What information will be given to participants about the withdrawal process 

• What consideration has been given for any data collected up until the point of withdrawal. 

Data collection/management 

• Explain the purpose for which you are collecting data and how it will help achieve the project objectives. 

• Whether you will collect personal data or special category data (data such as a person’s race, ethnic origin, political opinion, religious beliefs, trade union membership, physical or mental health condition or sexual life). Explain your reasons for collecting this data.  

• Whether you will be collecting and using data that consists of digital images, video or audio recordings. 

• Who will be responsible for collecting and analysing data. Will they have access to the data as part of their normal role or placement? Include details of an access controls or restrictions. 

• Who will have access to participants’ data. 

• Whether the data you are using will be anonymised, pseudonymised or identifiable. How will you check this? 

• Give details of how you will ensure personal data is collected, stored and/or transferred securely at all times throughout the research project.  

• Give details of how and when data will be destroyed following completion of the research project. Include an approximate date. Please note, researchers will need to follow the Council’s retention periods.  

• Will the data be shared with another organisation and if so, how will you ensure any transfers are carried out in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018? Is there a Data Processing Agreement or a Data Sharing Agreement? If you need advice about data transfers, please contact your organisation’s Information Governance team.  

• If data will be transferred outside the UK, please explain to which country the data will be transferred, how and why, and what mechanisms are in place to ensure legal requirements are met. For advice, please contact your organisation’s Information Governance team.  

• You may need to complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment. An approved copy must be submitted along with your application. A template is available on Coventry HDRC’s website. Internal applicants should contact dpoteam@coventry.gov.uk with any questions and external applicants should contact their organisation’s own DPO team.  

Sharing findings 

• Include details of how you will feedback your findings to the participants.  

• Give details of how you will share your research findings, particularly who or which department it will be shared with and how you will ensure that it is shared with the individuals/teams or organisations that are ideally placed to effect change.  

• Consider how your research project will create impact.  

• If you are intending to publish your work, a copy must be provided to the Council.  

Public Involvement 

• Give details of how you have engaged with the public and/or involved the public in the development of this research. How have you consulted them or kept them involved throughout the project?  

• You may wish to refer to the Health Research Authority’s guidance when completing this section.  

Glossary of terms