Research Ethics Committee
The Research Ethics Committee (INL REC) is an Advisory Board that was established by the INL Council, designed to be a multidisciplinary, independent and permanent collegiate body, with the purpose to provide advice on the ethical, social and legal aspects of research developed in, or supported by, INL, in order to ensure the respect and protection of dignity, fundamental rights, safety, and well-being of the research participants and researcher, and strengthen INL’s ethical environment.
The establishment of INL REC is one more step from INL towards a common culture of responsible research and innovation (RRI), encapsulated by the values, principles and virtues of research integrity, in accordance with the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity.
In fact, INL Ethics Code establishes that INL, in its research projects, must seek to establish the personal, material and institutional conditions necessary to ensure the attainment of INL’s purpose – that of a high standard – and help to consolidate an ethical culture in all aspects of research practice.
Good research practices are based on fundamental principles of RRI and guide researchers in their work as well as in their engagement with the practical, ethical and intellectual challenges inherent in research.
RRI using state-of-the-art knowledge must include researchers designing, carrying out, analysing and documenting research in a careful and well-considered manner; making proper and conscientious use of research funds; publishing results and interpretations of research in an open, honest, transparent and accurate manner; and respecting the integrity and confidentiality of data and findings, when legitimately required to do so. The ethical dimension is, therefore, a crucial tool for the development of excellent research.
Professionalism combines technical competence (knowledge and skills in a particular area or discipline) and ethical competence (ability to use knowledge and skills to achieve the goals of the research activity without undermining other aspects).
Chairs
Chair of INL REC: José-Antonio Seoane
Vice-Chair of the INL REC: Ernesto Alfaro-Moreno
Internal Members
Clivia M. Sotomayor Torres, INL Director-General
Paulo Freitas, INL Deputy Director-GeneraI
Ernesto Alfaro-Moreno, Nanosafety Research Group Leader
Begoña Espiña, Water Quality Research Group Leader
Lorenzo Pastrana, Food Processing and Nutrition Research Group Leader
External Members
José-Antonio Seoane, Full Professor of Philosophy of Law Universidade da Coruña
Maria João Marques, Clinical Research and Development Project Manager, Clinical Academic Center, 2CA-Braga
Noelia Martínez-Doallo, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Konstanz, Universidade da Coruña
María Rovira, Associate Professor of Civil Law Universidade da Coruña
The INL REC has developed a procedure for the assessment of research projects to:
ensure compliance with the ethical requirements in research work
guide the application process of a report from the INL REC for the development of research projects, preferably at the proposal stage.
Accountability in research means taking responsibility for one’s decisions and actions before one’s research group, one’s research institution, other organisations and funding bodies involved in the research, the rest of the scientific community, society as a whole, and oneself, from idea to publication, for its management and organisation, for training, supervision and mentoring, and for its wider impacts.
You may contact us with any questions you may have about this process using the form below or internally through the INL Hub via INL REC.