Directorate of Postgraduate Studies PhD and Masters studies

Step-by-step guide to submission

1. The Principal Investigator (PI) shall prepare one (1) duly signed hardcopy research protocol and submit it electronically through the ethics review committee’s official email.
2. The submission must be accompanied by a fully signed ethical review application form.
3. The PI must include their Curriculum Vitae (CV) along with those of all Co-investigators.
4. If the research is for academic purposes, the PI must submit a memorandum from the relevant School certifying approval by the School-based Postgraduate Committee for submission to ZU-IERC.
5. All required supporting documents must be included (e.g., letters of study approval from the home institution, CVs, roles/responsibilities of personnel, previous approval letters for renewals).
6. The PI pays the application fee as outlined on the ISERC Website.
7. Applications must reach the IERC at least TWO weeks prior to the scheduled meeting.
8. The Secretariat is tasked with receiving and handling new protocol submissions and ensuring all necessary components are included for review (validation). Validation should be completed within five working days of receipt.