Research Ethics Committee (REC)

The composition of the ERC is interdisciplinary. It respects the independence and impartiality of its members with respect to project promoters and researchers in accordance with current legislation.

It is composed of a chairman, a secretary and several members.

Each member has training and experience in research ethics.

When the Committee considers it appropriate, it may seek the opinion of external experts.

Committee members are appointed by the Rector, at the proposal of the Vice-Rector for Research.

The ERC has a consultative and certifying character and its three main functions are as follows:

1. To evaluate and certify the ethical suitability of the studies carried out by the permanent staff of the University of Design, Innovation and Technology, reviewing all aspects associated with human experimentation and ensuring compliance with current international regulations.

2. To evaluate and certify the ethical suitability and compliance with the basic precepts established at international level of global projects that will be submitted for evaluation in any of the current calls for proposals by the permanent staff of the University of Design, Innovation and Technology.

3. Respond to queries on scientific integrity and ethical compliance in research, formulated by the staff of the University of Design, Innovation and Technology.

4. To ensure compliance with good research practice and to make such recommendations as it deems appropriate.

5. Any other function attributed to it by current legislation.

All studies involving human subjects or personal data must be evaluated by the IRB (UDIT) prior to initiation.

In animal studies, animal welfare and responsible use regulations must be complied with and must therefore be governed by the law in question. Consult the BOE: Ley 7/2023, de 28 de marzo, de protección de los derechos y el bienestar de los animales, through the following link.

The Ethics Committee shall act on the basis of the following principles:

1. Respect for human dignity or all research shall ensure that the rights, privacy and welfare of participants are protected.

2. Autonomy and informed consent o Study participants shall be required to provide their free and informed consent before being included in any research.

3. Beneficence and non-maleficence o Maximise the benefits and minimise the risks of studies.

4. Fairness and equity o The distribution of benefits and burdens of research should be equitable, avoiding exploitation of vulnerable populations.

5. Scientific integrity o Research must be conducted with methodological rigour and transparency in the presentation of data.

6. Confidentiality and data protection o Compliance with regulations on personal data protection and handling of sensitive information will be required.

7. Independence and absence of conflict of interest o The REC's evaluations will be based on scientific and ethical criteria without external influence.

8. Non-discrimination.

9. Proportionality between risks and expected benefits.

1. Investigators requiring ethical evaluation should submit a formal application using the appropriate form, indicating the details of the study and the ethical considerations involved.

2. The research protocol, informed consent (if applicable) and any relevant documents should be attached.

3. The IRB will receive applications during the first week of each month, excluding the months of July, August and September.

4. The secretary of the panel will verify that the documentation is complete before proceeding with the evaluation.

5. Each application will be assessed individually by the Secretariat and the three members, using an established rubric to analyse the key ethical aspects.

6. Each criterion may be approved, rejected or marked as pending discussion.

7. In case of discrepancies, a virtual or face-to-face meeting will be convened to discuss the outstanding points. Regular meetings of the REC shall be held in the third week of each month.

8. If there are no doubts, a vote will be taken and a final decision will be taken.

9. In the event of a tie, the Chairperson of the REC shall have the casting vote for the final decision.

10. Within a maximum of 10 working days after the beginning of each month, the ERC shall issue a response.

11. If the opinion is positive, the investigator will receive an official approval document with a unique reference code, which is recommended to be included in any publication resulting from the study.

12. If the opinion is negative, the investigator will receive a report detailing the reasons and corrective actions necessary for the re-evaluation of the project.

Any university or academic person can report a possible ethical breach of a research project to the REC.

The report can be submitted by

• E-mail to the REC: comite.etica.investigacion@udit.es