News
Covid-19: Changes for the Ethics Committees March to June 2020: Challenges and effects on the number of applications and on the timelines
01.07.2020
The Covid-19 pandemic has posed new and very serious challenges to ethics committees and all other institutions involved in human research. In an overview document swissethics has compiled the most important aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic of the past months for the ethics committees. It shows how the researchers were supported by extremely short processing times despite a considerably larger number of research applications. In addition, ethical standards are discussed, particularly with regard to informed consent. The document is published in German and in French.
Implementation: guiding principles for registers in human research
02.06.2020
Advisory opinion of the ethics committees on registers, biobanks and research projects in accordance with Art. 51 HFG
The pure creation of data registries or biobanks is not formally subject to authorisation under the HRA. However, projects that re-use these data and biological samples must generally be approved by an ethics committee. The ethics committees now offer a preliminary examination of the data registries and biobanks.
Read moreNew submission Form available: Advice on ethical questions/comments on research projects not subject to the HRA.
02.06.2020
Use the form "Advice on ethical questions/comments on research projects not subjet to the HRA" to obtain an advice on a data registry or on a biobank (without a concomitant submission of a research project), or to obtain comments on a research project not subject to the HRA, and specifically projects carried out abroad. The research project must be close to the ethics committee’s area of expertise. The form fulfils the requirements set by Article 51 lit 2 HRA.
The mission of the Ethics Committees during the COVID-19 Pandemic
06.05.2020
The ‘European Network of Research Ethics Committees’ (EUREC), of which swissethics is member, has released a position paper on the responsibility of Research Ethics Committees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
EUREC reaffirms and reminds all concerned parties (researchers, institutions, sponsors, …) that the mission of the Ethics Committees is the protection of the dignity, rights, safety and well-being of research participants, in medical research, and that this also applies against the background of the current pandemic situation.
Read moreInformation on the coronavirus: In order to promote transparency and facilitate research coordination, swissethics is now also publishing research projects that have been submitted but not yet approved.
30.03.2020
The current situation of the corona pandemic is extremely challenging for all health care institutions involved. The ethics commissions are currently receiving a large number of submissions of projects on corona research. Understandably, the interest in evaluating patient data on new therapies, analysing cohorts or evaluating data on certain pre-existing conditions is extremely high.
Read more