In any research project, be it a competitive grant, a proposal supported from other sources or unfunded work, project activities requiring ethical or other clearances must not proceed without appropriate clearances from the relevant committees.

In some cases, grant funding will not be made from a funding provider to UQ until confirmation of clearances is provided by the University.

In terms of grant establishment at UQ, all necessary ethics, biosafety and other clearances or confirmations needed for commencement of the research must be finalised prior to the issue of a UQ Grant Record Letter (GRL). Researchers also need to be aware of Strengthened Export Controls, which relate to Tangible and Intangible exports from Australia to a place outside Australia of controlled defence and strategy technology.

Clearances must be maintained (or new approvals sought) for all activities where they are required, throughout the term of the project.

Find out more about ethical clearance