BEN FREC manages the ethics review process within the Faculty for the Built Environment.
Anyone carrying out research, must fill in the URECA Form before beginning data collection. Research is defined on page one of the University of Malta Research Ethics Review Procedures as “A systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.”
Students can submit the URECA Form after the title and supervisor of their dissertation/thesis have been approved by the Faculty Board, and the research method has been planned and developed.
The application deadlines: TBA
Before filling out the form, the applicant should carefully read the Research Ethics Code of Practice and Procedures [PDF]
Additionally, it is highly recommended to read the FAQs - L-Università ta Malta provided by UREC. Sample information letters and consent forms, instructional videos, a replica URECA Form and other resources can also be found on the UREC Website. It is recommended that applicants make use of these resources when filling in their URECA Form.
Please note that in rare cases, BEN FREC may need to consult with UREC or other entities for advice before approving a form. In these cases, the process of approving the form may take longer than usual. It is therefore recommended that applicants submit their form as soon as possible, once they have established their methodology and prepared their data collection instruments.
If the applicant is a student, while filling out the form the student may seek guidance from their supervisor. The applicant should use their UM account to fill in the form, and should input their supervisor’s UM email address. The supervisor will only be able to view the form if their UM email address is inputted.
The URECA Form consists of three parts. In part 2 of the form, if an issue is flagged a more detailed set of questions will appear. In this case, the applicant must then provide further information. When an issue is flagged the form will guide the applicant to submit for review. In the case that the form is submitted for review, the applicant must NOT begin their research until FREC grants its approval.
Depending on the nature of the research, the applicant may also need to upload supporting documents, such as interview questions and consent forms. Kindly upload any supporting documents in PDF format. Students are not to use the UM logo on their supporting documents unless they are working with Mater Dei.
If no issues are flagged, the form will guide the applicant to submit for records, and the research can begin as soon as it is submitted. Applications submitted in records may be used during audits.
Student’s submissions (for records and for review) can only be seen by FREC after they have been endorsed by the student’s principal supervisor. All student applications must be endorsed by the supervisor. Before endorsing the form, the principal supervisor will check that the form and any supporting documents are
correctly filled in and no errors are present. Supervisors are responsible for the forms they endorse, as per the Research Ethics Review Procedures.
If you need permission from a cooperating institution to carry out your research, obtain permission before applying to FREC. and upload the email thread/letter in which the institution grants permission with your application.
Once the student submits the form, the supervisor will be notified and will review the form and any attached documents before endorsing it. The supervisor will be automatically notified that they have a form to endorse. If the form is not up to standard, the supervisor will provide feedback to the student.
FREC will only be able to view the form after it has been endorsed by the supervisor.
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that their supervisor endorses the form.
If after submitting the URECA Form the applicant needs to make changes to the research method, then the applicant will have to withdraw, update, and then resubmit the form. For students, the form will need to be endorsed again. When re-submitting the form, the applicant needs to include a note to FREC explaining what changes have been made. If amendments have been made to any of the supporting documents, the explanation should include which documents were amended.
When a form is sent back for revision by FREC, the requested amendments need to be formatted as follows: In the form itself, any text to be added must be in ALL CAPS, while any text to be deleted must be marked in square brackets [ ]. Any changes to the supporting documents must be made with Track Changes and then
saved as PDF.
Violations of the research ethics and data protection procedures can result in disciplinary action.
Researchers should not state that FREC or UREC have approved the study. UREC instead asks that researchers use the following statement: 'This research is in conformity with the University of Malta’s Research Code of Practice and Research Ethics Review Procedures.' This statement covers both researchers who submit to
records and those who submit for review.
When submitting their dissertation/thesis, students will also need to submit the Authenticity Form, on which they will need to write down the Application ID of their URECA Form. There are two versions of the authenticity form, one without student details and the other with student details. The authenticity form with student details is not to be included in the dissertation due to GDPR. Instead, the authenticity form WITHOUT student details is included in the dissertation.
The authenticity form WITHOUT student details can be accessed online.
The authenticity form with student details can be accessed online.
Contact BEN FREC
FREC can be contacted by email at research-ethics.ben@um.edu.mt
Below are the deadlines by which applications need to be submitted.
Kindly remember that FREC will not be able to view your application if it has not been endorsed by
your supervisor. Therefore, the application needs to be endorsed before the deadline.
Late submissions will be considered at the next month’s meeting.
2025
Monday 20 October
Friday 31 October
Wednesday 5 November
Monday 24 November
2026
Wednesday 7 January
Wednesday 14 January
Wednesday 4 February
Wednesday 18 February
Tuesday 17 March
Wednesday 15 April
Wednesday 20 May
Wednesday 17 June