Research governance: assailing a paper mountain

<p>Here is a personal view of the rigmarole I have been experiencing as a PhD student applying for local Research and Development (R&D) approval to conduct my relatively low-risk study. The very mention of ‘ethics’ and ‘R&D’ elicits sighs all round from the PhD office and this is not without good reason. I, for one, have found the application system complex, inconsistent and at times, rather discouraging.</p>