Managing research ethics for university of Bristol

Introduction

University of Bristol modernizes research ethics workflows with a digital platform purpose-built for compliance and transparency

Case metrics

Key statistics

2×

faster ethics approval turnaround

100%

of ethics decisions fully documented

80%

reduction in manual follow-ups

The challenge

Improving case management and compliance for research and legal services

As research at the University of Bristol became increasingly interdisciplinary and internationally collaborative, the university’s research ethics review process faced mounting pressure. Ethics applications, often involving sensitive topics or personal data, were handled through manual, email-based systems that made it difficult to track submissions, secure sensitive documents, and coordinate among review boards.

The Research and Enterprise Development (RED) organization and the Secretary’s Office (SecO) needed a case management system that could ensure both confidentiality and regulatory compliance while simplifying interactions with academic applicants and ethics committees. Without a centralized overview or digital archive, RED risked inconsistent processing times and an opaque audit trail, a serious concern for a top research institution.

“By engaging end-users early and often, the end result reflected the actual working practices rather than idealized versions of the truth.”

Tom Morgan

F2 Service Owner at University of Bristol

The solution

Digitizing ethics workflows with a compliant, user-driven platform

UoB selected cBrain’s F2 platform to overhaul its ethics case management process. Built for regulated public-sector work, F2 offered RED a single digital hub where researchers, administrators, and ethics reviewers could collaborate securely and efficiently.

Using F2’s configurable templates and approval flows, the university digitized each stage of the ethics case lifecycle from application submission and screening to board review and decision logging. Review comments, approvals, and applicant communication are all recorded in one case file with role-based access controls, ensuring full confidentiality and data protection.

Importantly, F2’s agile implementation allowed ethics administrators to define process templates that mirrored their actual workflows. With REST API integrations, the platform connects to academic and student systems, providing reviewers with contextual information instantly and reducing repetitive data entry.

The result

A transparent, secure, and responsive ethics management process

The new ethics platform has transformed how RED supports researchers and boards. Submission-to-decision timelines have shortened dramatically, and staff no longer rely on fragmented email chains or file servers to track review progress. Sensitive documents are now stored with audit-grade security, and all communication is logged, enabling the university to meet GDPR and other compliance mandates effortlessly.

Researchers benefit from clearer guidance and faster feedback, while administrators gain oversight into case load and bottlenecks. The scalable framework also positions UoB to adapt quickly as new ethical guidelines or legal standards emerge, without rebuilding systems from scratch.

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