What is a prior approval application?
A prior approval application is used when ethics approval has already been granted by an external Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) and Bond University endorsement is required before the research can proceed under Bond governance arrangements.
When should I submit a prior approval application?
Submit a prior approval application when:
- Ethics approval has already been granted by an external HREC.
- Bond University researchers are involved in the project.
- Bond University endorsement is required.
If ethics approval has not yet been obtained from another HREC, you should submit a new ethics application instead.
Application process
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Step 1: Create a prior approval application in Pure
Log in to Pure.
Under ‘Ethical Review’, select ‘Prior approval‘ to complete the following:
- Title: Title of the project.
- HREA ID: External HREC application number.
- Submission date: Prior approval application submission date
- Persons: "Add Person" - Include all people in the research team, ensuring one chief investigator, which must be a Bond University staff member, is included. Ensure all Bond researchers are included in the research team.
- Add managing organisational unit: Faculty
- Add documentation: Supporting documents relevant to the prior approval application (If uploading multiple files, combine them into a ZIP folder) and upload under ‘HREA Application Bundle’.
External HREC approval documentation
Official external ethics approval letter, including:
- Approval date.
- Project end date.
- Any conditions of approval.
- The full set of documents approved by the external HREC, such as:
- Protocol.
- Participant information sheets and consent forms.
- Recruitment materials.
- Surveys, questionnaires, interview guides, or other data collection tools.
- Additional supporting documents.
- Site approvals (if applicable).
- Letters of support (if applicable).
- Any other documents referenced in the approval letter.
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Step 2: Submit for review
Quick Checklist
Before submitting, confirm that you have:
- Listed the Bond researcher as chief investigator.
- Uploaded the external ethics approval letter.
- Included all externally approved documents.
- Uploaded any site approvals or letters of support.
- Combined multiple files into a ZIP folder (if applicable)..
Change the application status to ‘Under Review’ and select ‘Save’.
This notifies the research ethics office that your ethics application is ready for assessment.
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After submission
- The research ethics office will undertake an initial compliance review.
- Additional information may be requested if required.
- Prior approval applications are reviewed outside of the standard committee meeting cycle.
- Applicants will be advised of the outcome via email from [email protected].
- Do not commence research until you have received formal written confirmation of exemption
Researchers remain responsible for:
- Ensuring that all information provided in the application is accurate and complete.
- Complying with any applicable data custodian, legislative, regulatory, or contractual requirements.
- Managing and storing research data in accordance with Bond University policies and procedures.
- Monitoring the project throughout its lifecycle to ensure it continues to meet the conditions under which the approval was granted.
- Submitting annual progress reports by 30 April each year, where required by the approving HREC (e.g. Hospital HRECs that provide continuing approval subject to annual reporting), and providing related ethics correspondence to [email protected].