Research Ethics Committee

Research Ethics  lies at the foundation of research activity involving human beings  as it aims to "find a balance between the advancement of scientific knowledge, research interest and the protection of the participants" (de Lecuona, 2020, p. 33). In other words, research activity or research projects that deal with human beings must take into account any and all ethics considerations  and must seek to eliminate or minimize the risks participants could be exposed to.

Project types

The participation of human beings in research can occur directly (i.e. , through clinical trials or in-depth interviews), or indirectly (i.e., through projects using personal data); thus, the review of ethical aspects of research projects is relevant to a wide spectrum of disciplinary fields and research methods .

The Research Ethics Committee’s (CEI) main role consists in reviewing and assessing research proposals and the strategies undertaken by researchers in order to protect human beings from potential risks associated with the execution of the project, before it starts.

 

Source: Comité Director de la Bioética de la Unión Europea (2012). Guía para los Miembros de los Comités de Ética de Investigación.

 

Proposals that must be assessed by the Research Ethics Committee:

  • Proposals in which the participation of human beings is intended to answer the research question.
  • Proposals that include the collection of information/data from people.
  • Proposals that work with personal data, including secondary analysis of data collected for another purpose.

Decision Tree- Research with Human beings

Access to the decision tree here.

Proposal Review Schedule

The University of Engineering and Technology – UTEC, Research Ethics Committee will accept requests to review proposals on an ongoing basis , (Please use the link at the bottom of this section). However, proposals will be reviewed and discussed by the Committee three times a year during March, July, and December.