On 1 August 2024 we removed the requirement to submit annual progress reports for studies that have received a final opinion from any Research Ethics Committee (REC) in the UK.
This change was first introduced in England and Wales on 1 June 2024 and then in Scotland and Northern Ireland on 1 August 2024.
You can find out more about these changes in the news section.
Depending on what approval you have received you may be asked to complete a progress report to keep us up to date with how your research is progressing.
Research Ethics Committee (REC)
We have removed the requirement for annual progress reports to be submitted for studies that have received a final opinion from a REC.
This applies to all studies receiving a final opinion from a REC in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
HRA and HCRW Approval
For research requiring only HRA and HCRW Approval you do not need to provide a progress report.
Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) annual review
All CAG approvals are reviewed annually to assess the need for continuing approval and to ensure that progress towards, or achievement of, any conditions of approval is in place. This review is carried out following submission of an annual review report.
At this stage you should consider if it would be possible to reduce the amount of confidential patient information that you are processing.
To allow sufficient time for processing, an annual review report should be submitted to the Confidentiality Advice Team by email four weeks before the approval expires (no later than 11 months following the final approval date) using the report template. This will be assessed by the Confidentiality Advice Team in the first instance.
Early termination or temporary halt of research
If your research is terminated early or is temporarily suspended, you should notify all relevant review bodies within 15 days.