Stellenbosch University

Intro to Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch University (SU), one of South Africa’s leading institutions, is renowned for its academic excellence and pioneering research. With a heritage spanning over a century, the university consistently drives innovation and transformative research that addresses critical global challenges. It fosters an environment where interdisciplinary collaboration and ethical practices thrive, attracting top scholars and industry partners worldwide.

Key Stats

4,500+ applications processed each year
5 committees and 3 subcommittees
444 reviewers
10 faculties and 2 schools

Challenges: Early system fell short on usability, insights and value

Before 2015, Stellenbosch University’s ethics review process was manual and time-consuming. This created a heavy admin burden and made it difficult to benchmark against international standards.

An initial online system reduced some pressure but introduced new issues

Poor user experience – Forms were hard to navigate, frustrating applicants and reviewers
Cumbersome reporting – Data extraction was slow and unreliable
High costs – The system required ongoing vendor support and expensive maintenance

In 2017, SU replaced this system with Ethics RM to modernise processes, improve control, and align with global standards.

The intuitive, uncluttered interface of Ethics RM has transformed our application process. Researchers now complete their applications independently, eliminating the frequent queries we encountered with the old system. This streamlined experience not only enhances user satisfaction but also saves administrators significant time and resources.

Clarissa Robertson, Director, Research Integrity and Ethics, SU

Tailored workflows ease admin load across faculties

With Ethics RM’s configurability, Stellenbosch University has set up tailored workflows to meet the needs of 10 faculties and 2 schools. The streamlined setup reduces the workload of the Central Team – which consists of the Office for Research Integrity and Ethics and the Health Research Ethics Office.

Smart forms and automated triaging assess risk and route applications to the right review path. Some faculties use a two-stage process: applications are screened locally before reaching the institutional committee.

This setup improves application quality, reduces rejections and ensures the Central Team only sees submissions that are ready for review.

Ethics RM has boosted productivity by automating repetitive tasks. We no longer spend hours scanning documents and organising shared drive folders for each new application – the system handles it all. This has freed up valuable time for the HREC team to focus on the more critical aspects of ethics review.

Elvira Rohland, Senior Administrative Officer, Health Research Ethics, SU

Reliable reports for KPIs, audits and smarter decisions

Ethics RM gives SU powerful reporting tools that support every stage of the ethics review process. Administrators can link specific fields to targeted questions, generating detailed, trustworthy reports on almost anything with ease.

The Central Team use these insights to:

Track application volumes and monitor committee workloads
Report KPIs to senior leadership such as the number of applications processes or research productivity
Quickly prepare for audits with reliable, structured data

With fast access to strategic insights, SU can maintain high standards, improve productivity, reduce audit stress and make better-informed decisions.

I use Ethics RM’s reporting tool to extract meaningful insights at every stage of the ethics review process – from tracking application status and monitoring committee performance to identifying trends and areas for improvement. It also underpins our audits and compliance activities by providing reliable, trustworthy data.

Maryke Hunter-Husselmann, Director, Research Information and Strategic Initiatives, SU

‍

Full control to keep pace with policy changes – independently

SU’s Central Team and Local Administrators have full control over their Ethics RM setup. Without needing technical or vendor support, they can easily update the system to reflect policy changes. When the National Health Research Ethics Council issued new guidelines in 2024, SU adapted its workflows and forms quickly to ensure continued compliance.

The ability to configure the forms and workflows without any technical expertise is a significant advantage. It keeps the system future-proofed and responsive to change.