NMA scheme

The National Mutual Acceptance (NMA) scheme is a national agreement for mutual acceptance of a single scientific and ethical review for multi-centre health and medical research conducted in publicly funded health services across all Australian states and territories.

NMA background

Under the NMA scheme a multi-centre human research project is reviewed for ethical and scientific merit once only with that review being accepted across the participating jurisdictions. There are a number of jurisdictional specific exclusions to NMA. For the ACT these include, but are not limited to:

• Phase 0 and phase I clinical trial application will be subject to review processes determined by ACT Health Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC)
• Projects involving persons in custody in the ACT and/or staff of ACT Justice Health
• Studies in, or concerning the ACT and any of the following:
  • The experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is an explicit focus of all or part of the research
  • Data collection explicitly directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as a group, are to be examined in the results
  • The information has an impact on one or more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health funds are a source of funding.
• Studies involving persons in custody, staff of justice health services or access to.
• Studies accessing coronial material.

Submit an application

Applications made through the NMA system must be submitted to research.governance@act.gov.au.

Find out more about submission requirements.

Data linkage studies

Multi-jurisdiction data linkage studies are included in the scheme. If your research studies involve linkage of data across participating NMA jurisdictions, you can apply for ethical review through a number of specialist NMA HRECs. The ethical and scientific approval of these HRECs will be accepted by participating NMA jurisdictions in accordance with standard NMA approval processes.

Data linkage projects will need to undergo any local research governance processes that may apply including the endorsement of relevant local data custodians.

Go to the NMA data linkage guide for specialist NMA HRECs and further information.

More information

• Find out more about submission requirements
• Find out more about the definition of human research
• Go to the NMA brochure
• Go to the NMA fact sheet
• NMA standard principles of operation
• Jurisdiction legislative requirements and certified HRECs
• Regional governmental organisations and organisations document.