NHRC approval processing fee (Effective from March 7, 2018)
The NHRC was established to promote responsible conduct of health research and as such is authorized to regulate all health-related research conducted in Nepal. Through the ethics review process, research that is not scientifically and ethically sound will not be approved. The NHRC has developed the National Ethical Guidelines for Health Research in Nepal and formed Ethical Review Board (ERB) to regulate research conduct in Nepal. Similarly, Institutional Review Committees (IRCs) have been formed in different institutions and are responsible for ethical review process.
Elements of the Ethics Review Process
Technical Review by the Reviewers: Submitted proposals are screened for completeness and reviewed by the internal reviewer. The proposal is then assigned to external subject experts to review the the scientific and technical content.
Communication of review to the researcher: Reviewers’ feedback is given to the researcher(s) who must then respond to the comments.
Ethical Review: Technically and scientifically sound proposals that have addressed reviewers’ comments are then submitted to the Member-Secretary of the Ethical Review Board (ERB) for a thorough discussion in an ERB meeting for ethical approval.
Decision Making: Normally the ERB will make approval decisions by consensus, but the majority will rule if the timely agreement is not reached. The ERB may offer conditional approval with specific suggestions to the researcher or may disapprove the proposal with clear and compelling reasons.
Communicating a Decision: The Member Secretary, on behalf of the ERB, will deliver the decision to the researchers in written form within two weeks of ERB meeting.
Follow-Up: ERB monitors the progress of all approved studies. ERB has the right to monitor approved studies from the time the approval until the completion or termination of the research.
Flowchart of Ethical Review Process
Submission Process
Processing Fee:
- For Nepalese students studying inside Nepal (Thesis)- Self funded is NRs. 1,000.00
- For Nepalese students studying outside Nepal (Thesis)- Self funded is NRs. 10,000.00
- For Nepalese researchers, if the total budget of the study is below NRs 2,00,000(<$2,000), the ethical approval fee is NRs 5,000($50).
- For budget between NRs. 2,00,000($2,000) to NRs 10,00,000(<$10,000), the ethical approval fee is NRs. 10,000($100).
- For international students (thesis), international researchers & international researchers involvement in any health researches with budget up to $10,000, ethical approval fee is USD 200.
- For proposals with budget up to $5,00,000 for national & international researchers, ethical approval fee is 3% of total budget.
- For proposals with budget up to $10,00,000 for national & international researchers, ethical approval fee for first $5,00,000 3% of total budget & for second ($5,00,000-$10,00,000) 1.5% of the total budget (additional)
- For proposals with budget above $10,00,000 for national & international researchers, ethical approval fee for first $5,00,000 3% of total budget & for second ($5,00,000-$10,00,000) 1.5% of the total budget (additional), for third above (-$10,00,000) 1% of total budget (additional)
Duration:
It usually takes four to eight weeks to get ethical approval depending upon the nature of the proposal. Proposals with serious ethical concerns might take more than eight weeks. Extra time should be alloted in case the ERB needs additional information.
For more information: visit NHRC website
Important Notice: Revised Ethical Approval Fee Structure with effective from 2074-01-26 (09 May 2017) – NHRC
Declaration of 4th National Summit of Health and Population Scientists in Nepal
