Lessons learned - developing a research governance process 

NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Coventry is a collaboration between Coventry City Council, University of Warwick, Coventry University, University College London, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW), the voluntary sector, and local communities.  

Work to develop a supportive risk-based process around research governance for Coventry City Council started in January 2023. Initial work was led by Tracy Gazeley from University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW), who drew on the existing research governance processes used in UHCW as well as examples from local authorities and partner universities. A flowchart detailing the proposed research governance framework for the HDRC was developed and  shared with the research governance teams at Coventry University and University of Warwick  to ensure it aligned with their existing research governance processes.

In January 2024, the HDRC recruited a Research Governance Officer, Seeman Tsang, and working closely with Tracy Gazeley, they took forward the development of the Research Governance Policy and application process to apply for approval for a research activity to take place within the council.  

The policy was reviewed by internal colleagues from the Information Governance, Audit, Insurance and Finance teams as well as HDRC partners before it was taken to Coventry HDRC’s Executive Committee.  Creating the policy took nearly 2 years and the final Research Governance Policy was signed off in March 2025.  

The HDRC team have tried to make the application process as simple as possible for colleagues and to avoid duplication where projects have already been reviewed by an ethics committee in a partner university.  

How the research governance process works 

Staff or external partners planning a piece of research are asked to complete the following steps: 

1. Completion of an online application form with details of: 

• the proposed project 

• research team 

• project scope (whether the research is on the wider determinants of health) 

• sponsor details (the organisation ultimately responsible for the research) 

• project costs and funding 

• any ethics approval that has already been obtained 

• Additional documents (example participant information and consent forms) 

• DBS checks that have been undertaken 

This information is sent to the Research Governance Officer who will triage the information and undertake a risk assessment. All research projects are also logged on a central database.  

2. Low risk projects can be signed off by the Chair or Co-Chair of the HDRC Ethics Panel. 

3. Medium or high-risk projects are sent for review by the HDRC Ethics Panel. Applicants are then notified if their project has received approval and any conditions that need to be met. 

HDRC Coventry Ethics Panel 

Recognising the unique relationship local authorities have with residents and the responsibility of transparency and accountability, establishing a Research Ethics Panel (for projects that do not require external approval) enables the Council to consider ethical considerations from a local authority viewpoint and context. Also, including residents on the panel enables them to bring community specific issues to the review process.  

• It is made up of: 

• A Chair and Co-Chair from the HDRC (HDRC Director and Head of the HDRC) 

• 4 staff members from Employee Network Groups, representing LGBTQ+, minority ethnic, female colleagues and colleagues with a disability 

• 4 members from Coventry’s Public Voice Group, which represents residents 

• Representatives from partner universities and the NHS 

• Data Protection Officers from within the council

The group will start meeting formally in October 2025, after undertaking bespoke training delivered by UKRIO to explore ethical considerations and to review a test application together, using the new approach.  

Once all testing and training has been completed, the Research Governance Process will be launched across the Council. The HDRC team are working with the Council Communications team to develop messaging that the aim of the process is to support and enable staff to undertake high-quality research and to protect the Council, staff and communities.  

Top tips for establishing a research governance process 

1. Allow time – the process has taken longer than expected because of the number of council staff and external partners that have been consulted. However, this has meant that the new policy covers all essential areas, including data protection, finance and insurance.  

2. Clarify sign off processes at the beginning – the team recommend identifying who will need to sign off any process before starting work, so it is clear what you are working towards and that there is agreement within the council.  

3. Network! - it takes hard work and persistence to identify the right people to speak to for all areas of compliance, local authorities are big, complex organisations. It is important to build buy-in from teams such as IT if your process involves online forms. 

4. Ensure you have capacity – having a dedicated Research Governance Officer created the resource needed to develop all aspects of the research governance process. 

5. Local authorities need a bespoke process as research undertaken in this environment is unique and processes that work in other organisations may not already be appropriate for the local authority setting.  

You can view the research governance documents at: Research Governance application – Health Determinants Research Collaboration Coventry 

For more information on this work, please contact: Seeman Tsang, Research Governance Officer at CoventryHDRC@coventry.gov.uk 

This learning story was prepared with support from NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health delivered by Newcastle University and Partners. With thanks to Coventry City Council for providing the content.