First access theURECA portalto familiarise oneself with its contents and requirements.
Fill in and submit the online.
The form on URECA guides applicants through 3 parts:
Part 1: Applicant and project details
Part 2: Self-assessment & detailed evaluation
Part 3: Submission details
In part 2, the detailed evaluation questions will be shownonlyto applicants who flag an issue in the self-assessment checklist. In such cases, applicants must elaborate on the issue flagged and seek FREC permission prior to data collection. In all other cases, once the form reaches the FREC for filing and audit purposes, the researcher may commence research directly.
In case ofre-submissions, applicants are towrite their previous reference number/unique ID. Every time a new re-submission is submitted, a new unique ID is created.
A list of theattachmentsthat need to accompany the online form is available on the URECA form itself. The ones relevant to the research must be included in the required areas of the form.
If your research involves a cooperating institution (such as a school or hospital), you will need to respond 'Yes/Unsure' to the relevant question on the REDP form (Q17). If you have already secured the required permissions from the collaborating institution(s), please respond to Question 17 with 'No' and attach a PDF copy of the written authorisation(s) to your URECA form.
The supervisor will automatically receive a copy of the submitted form and is to ENDORSE the URECA form and all attachments.For FREC to process the application,the Principal Supervisor needs to ENDORSEthat the form and attachments reflect the contents of the research proposal, which abides by theUniversity of Malta Research Code of Practice.
When URECA alerts the supervisor that a form requires endorsement, the supervisor can either click on the link provided in the email or else access the URECA platform from the base address and go to the section "Forms requiring endorsement". The forms therein can be opened as read-only, and the attachments downloaded. The supervisor can then endorse the form or send the form back to the student, and can include a message justifying the action.
Consent forms should reflect the requirements indicated inSection 3.1.3 of theUniversity of Malta Research Code of Practice.
All attachments should be inPDF form.
As indicated in theResearch Ethics Review Proceduressupervisorsareresponsible for the documents they endorse. Supervisors should ensure the URECA form and related materialsare up to standard before forwarding their approval. This includes proper use of English and Maltese without grammatical errors and typos.
The following are the scheduled FREC draft meeting dates. In order for your submission to be considered in any one of these dates, it should be sent up to seven days before the meetings:
Friday, 18 July 2025
Friday, 19 September 2025 Friday, 17 October 2025 Friday, 14 November 2025 Friday, 05 December 2025 Friday, 23 January 2026 Friday, 13 February 2026 Friday, 13 March 2026 Friday, 17 April 2026 Friday, 22 May 2026 Friday, 19 June 2026 Friday, 17 July 2026
Forms will be accepted till one minute before midnight (23:59) up to seven days before the dates indicated. The supervisor’s endorsement is to reach the MAKS FREC by the given deadlines otherwise it will be considered as a late submission. Late submissions will be reviewed in subsequent FREC meetings. The dates above may be subject to change.
When the digital form is marked as‘For FREC Review’, applicants shallwait for ethical approval before starting the data collection.
It is not correct for researchers to state that UREC has reviewed/approved their study.UREC encourages theuse of the following statementor something similar as this is general and covers all cases including those where no FREC review is necessary:'This research is in conformity with the University of Malta’s Research Code of Practice and Research Ethics Review Procedures.'
Infringements of regulations and/or policies concerning ethics and data protection are matter for disciplinary action.
For any questions regarding any issue/s related to FREC please contact usONLYviaemail.
