How to submit an application to the Research Governance Office at NALHN

The following process outlines the steps required to successfully submit a research application.

  1. All Applications ( including Low Risk) are via the Research GEMS portal. For studies involving other SA Health or public health sites, submission for ethics is through the Research GEMS system for SALHN, WCHN, DHW application, see on our NALHN Research web page. ( no hard copy paper submission or email submission are now accepted)
  2. If your application has already achieved ethics approval by an National Mutual Accepted HREC or CALHN ethics, please progress through Research GEMS with your SSA submission process – See the Research GEMS User Guides.

Hard copies of the application are not required (except for Clinical Trial Research Agreements (CTRA) and Medicines Australia Indemnity forms).

All copies of Clinical Trial Research Agreements (CTRA) and Medicine Australia Indemnity Forms will be managed via email through to the healthnalhnrgo@sa.gov.au 

Resources to assist with an application

Once submitted, your application is reviewed by the RGO for final authorisation by delegated officer. The project must not commence until you receive a letter of authorisation from the RGO.

NALHN supports dual submission of ethics and governance applications. While SSAs can be submitted at any time before the project commences, dual submission allows the governance and ethical review to occur in parallel. A Human Research Ethics Committees (HREC) approval is not sufficient to start a study. A final endorsement letter will be provided for the SSA only where HREC approval is obtained and the letter provided to the RGO.

If you have not submitted an application within 3 months of receiving ethical approval, the RGO will contact the Principal Investigator for clarification. Please contact the RGO if you anticipate a lengthy delay in submitting an SSA.

Partially completed (unsigned/invalid) applications will be returned to the applicant.