About the University of Hertfordshire
The University of Hertfordshire is renowned for its world-leading research and is ranked in the top 25% of all UK universities for research impact. The University has over 35,000 students on more than 700 degree courses, and research is a vital and growing cornerstone of the University’s activities.
We pride ourselves on the speed, quality, and bespoke nature of our implementations. From the moment agreements are signed, our Customer Success team works closely with each institution to ensure smooth, on-time delivery. We spoke with the University of Hertfordshire to learn about their implementation experience and the impact our solution has made.
Why Hertfordshire chose Infonetica
Before we began working with Hertfordshire, their existing in-house processes had become time-consuming and open to error: students struggled to navigate old Microsoft Word forms with errors becoming more likely as they lacked certainty of which sections of the form applied to their specific study.
Likewise, aspects of the forms themselves had become outdated, and didn’t reflect real-world changes like the increasing shift online for research. These challenges led Hertfordshire to consider options for a new external system, which would not only address the existing challenges but future-proof against similar legacy issues through ongoing configurability.
Drawn to our solution’s configurability and usability, Hertfordshire chose Ethics RM to manage and streamline their research ethics review processes and empower their researchers to spend more time on their research itself.
Configurability and ease of use
We configured our solution to meet Hertfordshire’s unique needs and structure. It’s flexibility enabled their team to make changes independently of Infonetica, future-proofing against evolving organisational needs such as academic school mergers. Ethics RM’s intuitive interface ensured “functionality and ease of use” for applicants, reviewers, and administrators alike.
“The Infonetica system gave us the opportunity to make our own changes, such as customising the forms, without needing the supplier’s involvement, which wasn’t true of all the systems we considered” - Dr Nadine Goldthorpe, Business Analyst, University of Hertfordshire
The Infonetica implementation experience
Each implementation is unique to the customer’s workflows and organisational structure, but with experience of over 150 implementations, we always ensure:
Best-in-class customer support
Our dedicated Implementation Lead was “always there to support Hertfordshire”, resolving issues swiftly and ensuring deadlines were met.
“Jeremy’s support was phenomenal; he was fantastic and very patient and calm” - Claire Kruger, Ethics Officer, University of Hertfordshire
Bespoke configuration
Rather than requiring institutions to adapt to our platform, we deliver a seamless transition through tailoring it to them. Hertfordshire also used this opportunity to refine their internal processes, support by best practices we shared.
“The system was very powerful and flexible and we were able to harness that to transform our processes” - Dr Nadine Goldthorpe, Business Analyst, University of Hertfordshire
True Partnership
Through weekly check-ins and efficient troubleshooting, we delivered a solution which combined the best out-of-the-box product based on industry best practices with bespoke customisation.
“Infonetica continued to be available and supportive even after the implementation was complete, which was really important” - Leire Caselles Vallejo, Research Governance and Information Manager, University of Hertfordshire
Timely and efficient
Hertfordshire needed the main ethics application live for the new semester and we delivered this, as well as all their additional workflows, ahead of schedule. Our implementations are usually <6 months vs an industry average of 1-2 years.
“Throughout the development and implementation, we worked closely with Infonetica, responding quickly to any questions they asked. As a result of close collaboration, we exceeded our own delivery expectations” - Dr Nadine Goldthorpe, Business Analyst, University of Hertfordshire
How Infonetica’s solution is helping applicants and reviewers
Ethics RM simplifies and speeds up the entire review process, reducing administrative workload, improving user experience, and ensuring everything is audit-ready.
Saving time for the administrative team
Administrators can now provide individual feedback within forms and offer direct support by taking temporary control of applicant’s accounts.
“It’s freed us up a lot, we don’t have to create manual logs and enter applications on a spreadsheet” - Claire Kruger, Ethics Officer, University of Hertfordshire
Seamlessly managing large volumes of applications
Users at Hertfordshire embraced the system immediately, with 2 submissions received within hours of launch. Only a few weeks after go-live, over 450 applications had been processed, all with a reduced rate of admin feedback required and employing a more intuitive process for applicants and reviewers.
Easy-to-use system
The design of Ethics RM makes submitting and reviewing applications simple, with the intuitive user experience guiding applicants and reviewers through every step of the process.
“It’s a huge improvement, people have remarked how much easier it is than our old paper-based system” - Claire Kruger, Ethics Officer, University of Hertfordshire
“Applicants can use the system to submit applications on their own, with no guidance needed, and in a short space of time” - Leire Caselles Vallejo, Research Governance and Information Manager, University of Hertfordshire
What has the key impact been?
With Ethics RM now being used across the University, we asked the team what the key impacts have been:
- All workflows launched ahead of schedule
- Major time savings for the admin team
- Modernised, efficient ethics workflows
- Enhanced experiences for students and staff
- Future-proofing the solution through enabling in-house changes
“It’s completely transformed what we did and it has massively improved the student experience. Every time we show the system to anyone, we only get positive feedback - having implemented many systems before, that’s rare!” - University of Hertfordshire Research Ethics Team
“We bought an off-the-shelf system which has turned out to be way more configurable and flexible than we ever imagined or ever could have hoped for. From where we were, it’s a massive transformation!” - University of Hertfordshire Research Ethics Team
“The fact we continue to have support from Infonetica is really vital. They made clear to use from the beginning that they wouldn’t just walk away once we went live and they’ve been true to their word and continue to be there and support us” - University of Hertfordshire Research Ethics Team
