Application for Approval of Research
Project and Supervisory Team
This form can be completed electronically from the website – http://www.ncl.ac.uk/studentprogress/pgradmin/
or via the ePortfolio system –
https://fmssso.ncl.ac.uk/cas/login?service=https%3A//pf-postgrad.ncl.ac.uk/eportfolio/index_html
SECTION 1 - to be completed by CANDIDATE
Name:
Student No:
Degree:
Start Date:
Sponsor:
Are you medically or dentally qualified?
YES
NO
Proposed Project Title:
Summary of Proposed Project – typically around 500 words plus supplementary documents if
required
Complete here electronically or attach separate sheets to the form.
1
Revised Project Approval Form – October 2012
Details of Project Plan - including key milestones
Complete here electronically or attach separate sheets to the form.
Ethical Issues – and where to get further guidance:
The University requires all research projects to undergo appropriate ethical review, including
internally and externally funded PhD projects and self-funded PhD students. Further Information can
be found at: www.ncl.ac.uk/res/research/ethics_governance/ethics/procedures/students.htm
All research students are required to complete the ‘Preliminary Ethical Assessment Form’ which can
be found on the following website along with further guidance on the University’s ethical approval
process: www.ncl.ac.uk/res/assets/documents/PreliminaryEthicsForm.docx
Once completed the ‘Preliminary Ethical Approval Form’ must be uploaded and attached with the
other documents for your Programme Approval.
If you answer YES to any of the ethical questions on the Preliminary Ethical Assessment Form you
will require ‘Full Ethical Approval’ for your research project. The ‘Full Ethical Approval’ form is
available at: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/res/assets/documents/UniversityFullEthicalReviewForm.docx
Please answer the following Questions (once you have completed the Preliminary Ethics form).
Do you require full ethical approval?
YES
NO
Have you applied for full ethical approval?
YES
NO
Date Ethical Approval given (if appropriate) ……………………………………..
Signature of Candidate: ____________________________ Date: _________________
This form should now be passed to your academic supervisor
Revised Project Approval – October 2012
2
SECTION 2 - to be completed by SUPERVISOR/S
Proposed Supervisory Team – Identified in consultation with the Director of Postgraduate Studies/
Research Student Co-ordinator in the School/ Institute
i.
Academic Supervisor:
__________________________________________
School/ Institute
__________________________________________
:
Proportion of Supervision as a percentage _________________________
ii.
Second Supervisor:
__________________________________________
School/ Institute
__________________________________________
:
Proportion of Supervision as a percentage _________________________
iii.
Additional Supervisor:
__________________________________________
School/ Institute
__________________________________________
:
Proportion of Supervision as a percentage _________________________
iv.
Details of any other person who will be acting in an advisory capacity
School/ Industry
:
__________________________________________
Proportion of Supervision as a percentage _________________________
IS THE PROJECT POTENTIALLY CONFIDENTIAL
Yes
No
DOES THE PROJECT REQUIRE ETHICAL APPROVAL
Yes
No
This project has been submitted to the Research Ethics Committee.
Supporting Statement - to be completed by Supervisor/Supervisory Team – including information
on project funding and any resource implications. If there are any resource implications for the
Library please inform the relevant Library Liaison Officer for your School.
Complete here electronically or attach separate sheets to the form.
3
Revised Project Approval Form – October 2012
SECTION 3 – to be completed by Independent School Panel
School Panel Recommendations
The Panel notes Research Ethic Approval is required for this project.
Further Recommendations by School Panel
We support this application and believe that the proposed research project is achievable
within the time-scale of the programme, and confirm that sufficient resources will be available
to support it.
We do not support this application and recommend that the student, under the guidance of
the supervisory team resubmit the proposal within 3 months, taking
into consideration the attached comments
Following resubmission of a revised proposal, we do not support this application and
recommend to the Progress Panel that this proposed research programme is not
achievable.
The panel should consider the evidence and make written notes below, or on additional sheets if
required. In the event of concerns the report should indicate the steps necessary to address them.
These notes will be made available to the student and to the supervisory team.
School Panel Members’ Signatures:
Signature: [
]
Name: [
]
Signature: [
]
Name: [
]
Date of School Panel Recommendation:
[
]
Head of School (or nominee)
Signature: [
Date
[
]
]
Name: [
]
Schools should feedback the recommendations from the Project Approval Panel to
the Candidate.
This form should now be passed to your Graduate School Administrator/
Research Student Support Team
Dean of Postgraduate Studies
Signature: [
Revised Project Approval – October 2012
]
Date: [
4
]
Guidelines for Approval of the Research Project
As an approved project is one of the requirements for confirmation of candidature and progression on the research
programme this needs to be done as soon as possible after the student has started at the University and certainly
no later than 3 months from first registration
Section One should be completed by the Research Candidate. The following evidence needs to be submitted in
order that the project can be considered by an Independent School Panel.
- a research proposal;
- a research plan;
This can be attached as documents or can be completed on the form on-line via – http://www.ncl.ac.uk/studentprogress/pgradmin/
The Research Candidate must have answered each of the ethical approval questions on the Preliminary Ethical
Assessment Form and attached it to their project approval form. If the response is ‘yes’ to any of the questions on
the Preliminary Ethical Assessment form, a plan for addressing the ethical issues raised by the proposal must be
submitted using the University full ethics approval application, which should be sent to the School/Institute’s
Research Ethics Officer.
Once Section one has been completed the form should be submitted to the academic supervisor who should
identify the supervisory team, provide a supporting statement and pass the form to a school panel.
It should be noted that, where a project proposal has already been reviewed and approved by external peer review,
a project plan and supervisory team list should still be submitted to the panel for approval before being submitted
for approval by the dean of postgraduate studies.
Guidelines for Selection and Approval of the Supervisory Team
The University requires that supervision should normally be undertaken by a team consisting of a minimum of two
members, both whom should be demonstrably research active. Where for any reason this is not possible, one
supervisor with relevant skills and knowledge is acceptable provided that an independent adviser is appointed to
whom the student can refer general academic and pastoral issues.
Within the supervisory team, the University requires that one member should be designated as the academic
supervisor and this person is responsible for the quality assurance of the research programme. The academic
supervisor:
 must be a member of the staff of the University;
 must have gained a doctoral degree or have equivalent experience of research;
 be demonstrably research-active;
 should normally have had previous experience of at least one successful supervision, defined as taking the
student all the way through to a research degree award.
In cases where the academic supervisor does not have such experience, the supervisory team must include
another member who is a demonstrably active researcher with experience of at least two successful supervisions.
The percentage proportions indicated with each member of the supervisory team should add up to 100% when
totalled.
Guidelines for Consideration and Approval of the Project Proposal
The University requires an independent school panel to evaluate research proposals against the following criteria;
 that the project has clear aims and objectives;
 that the student has (or can acquire) the knowledge, skills, and aptitudes to successfully complete the project;
 that the proposed supervisory team has, or will be able to acquire, the skills, knowledge and aptitudes
necessary to supervise the project to a successful conclusion;
 that the project is suitable for the programme of study and for the award;
 that it can be completed within the time-scale for the programme;
 that sufficient resources will be available to complete the project.
 that in cases where the project involves extended absence from the University on fieldwork or work in
collaborating organisations, that appropriate arrangements will be made to support and monitor the progress of
the student.
Once a decision has been reached by the assessment panel and the Head of School (or nominee) has approved
the recommendations the student can be informed of the result and the completed form can be forwarded to the
Graduate School Administrator/ Research Student Support Team for the Dean of Postgraduate Studies and
completion of the formal student record (subject to ethical approval if appropriate).
5
Revised Project Approval Form – October 2012