Clinical Research Adoptions Committee (CRAC)

Research is defined by the Research Governance Framework as an “attempt to derive generalisable new knowledge by addressing clearly defined questions with systematic and rigorous methods.”

To determine if your project is classed as research and whether it may need ethics review, please use HRA decision tools:

• Decision tool for research
• Decision tool for ethics

We want to ensure that the CRAC application process is efficient . On occasion we have observed situations where staff have taken forwards applications to CRAC – which have been reviewed then as suitable for clinical audit or service evaluation.

We are keen to avoid staff unnecessarily completing paperwork and waiting for decision making , where proposals don’t require approval from CRAC.

Please see our summary guide on the distinctions between Clinical Audit, service evaluation, and research. This also includes guidance on how to contact the clinical audit team at GOSH and steps to take if unsure about the nature of your proposal. It is recommended to read this before starting a CRAC application.

It involves any GOSH resources, GOSH staff or GOSH patients (including patient samples or data).

It is unfunded and you have not secured funding to cover the cost of GOSH and ICH resources (staff time, service support costs, consumables) associated with the project. Or your project has not gone through an appropriate peer review process.

To apply for review by CRAC you need to complete and submit the following documents (please refer to side-bar to download these documents and to check submission deadlines):

• CRAC Application form. Please read the guidance document carefully, as this will give you key information to complete the CRAC form
• A study protocol (templates available on HRA website)
• Other documents relevant to your study, such as questionnaires, patient information sheets, consent forms
• When completed, the application form must be sent by email to CRAC.Admin@gosh.nhs.uk

There is the opportunity to attend the CRAC meeting to discuss your application in person, the committee secretary will organise this once your CRAC application has been registered.

Once your application has been reviewed, the committee secretary will contact you to inform you of the outcome.

CRAC offers a Development Peer Review service for applications in preparation for submission to external funders. The service is for PIs based at GOSH that don’t have access to another peer review facility (UCL-GOS ICH Chalkboards).

If you would like to use this facility, please contact crac.admin@gosh.nhs.uk in the first instance.

Applications that will value over £250,000 on submission are welcome.