The Research Ethics Committee of FORTH is organized based on the provisions of Law 4957/2022, and the current regulatory framework. The mission of the Research Ethics Committee is to reassure that the quality of the research projects’ conducted at FORTH stand at the highest standards in terms of bioethical issues, according to the National and European Law. Specifically, the scope of the Research Ethics Committee at FORTH is to assess the compliance of a research project with the European Legislation on Bioethics in respect to the value of humans, the autonomy of the participants, their private life and their personal data, as well as the natural and cultural environment.

Funded research programs contacted by members of FORTH that, include clinical or laboratory research in humans, experiments with human samples, research on animals or the environment (natural and cultural), are mandatory to be submitted for approval to the Research Ethics Committee.

Law and Legislation

Code of ethics

Current membership

The current committee members are:

Application submission requirements:

1. Electronic Application:
The application, together with all supporting documentation, shall be submitted electronically by the Principal Investigator (P.I.) of the project through the website of the competent research organization. For the Electronic Application Form and submission with all required attachments, please consult the website of the FORTH Research Ethics Committee: https://rea.forth.gr/EthicsCommittee.

The application form is accessible via the REA Intranet of FORTH, under the section “Associations & Committees.” In cases where electronic submission is not technically feasible, applicants are requested to contact the Secretariat of the Research Ethics Committee at ehde@admin.forth.gr.

2. Research Protocol: An existing Technical Proposal Form or other officially approved document (e.g. Grant Agreement).

3. Detailed Work Schedule:

A comprehensive timetable of work packages in which the applicant is involved must be provided. The commencement and duration of each task or work package shall be explicitly indicated (with reference to years and months). Particular care must be taken for those involving clinical trials, experimental animals, human participants, and the processing of personal data. Both the estimated calendar start and end dates of each work package must be clearly stated. All participants must be listed by name under each work package, with due verification that the information is consistent with the Application–Questionnaire and the Technical Proposal.

4. Copies of Authorizations – Approvals

Valid for the entire duration of the research activity/project under review, covering all members of the research team as well as the laboratory facilities/infrastructures at FORTH where the research will be carried out. Such documents must be submitted to the FORTH Research Ethics Committee and must have been issued, or duly submitted and pending issuance, by the relevant Competent Authorities / Committees / Bodies / Officers (e.g. Ephorate of Antiquities, Collaborating institution’s Ethics Committee, Hospital Ethics Committees, Sampling permits, Data Protection Officer (DPO), or other competent entities).

5. Valid Veterinary Service–Approved Protocol: For any section of the research involving experimental animals, a valid protocol approved by the Veterinary Service is mandatory.

In addition to the relevant permit, applicants are required to submit the corresponding copy of the application to the Institutional Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) of the institution where the experiments in question are to be conducted, as specified in this section.

6. Certification of Training in the Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes: Proof of valid certification must be provided (e.g. FELASA-type certification).

7. Information and Consent Forms on Personal Data

Where collection and processing of personal data are involved, applicants must submit:

• an Information and Consent Form for the processing of personal data, and
• a Confidentiality Agreement.

The latter must be prepared by the Principal Investigator, duly adapted to the requirements of the project, taking into account FORTH’s Data Protection Policy as well as the instructions and any applicable templates provided by the FORTH Data Protection Officer (DPO).

The Committee assesses the research proposal and

1. a) approves or rejects it, or
2. b) makes recommendations and suggestions for its review, unless ethics issues arise.

In order to deliver its opinion with respect to the application forms, all following necessary documents must also be submitted:

1. Application of the Principal Investigator (e-application form)
2. Ethics Questionnaire. Researchers should complete and submit the questionnaire when their research Projects involve human participants, personal, medical or otherwise sensitive data, animals, genetic material, GMOs, invasive methods or other approaches.
3. Complete research protocol with fully-developed research methodology and objectives of the project under examination
4. An inform consent form signed by the participants/subjects, in cases when the study includes people as research subjects
5. An approval permission for research from the corresponding partner organization (e.g. decision issued by scientific committees of Hospitals, Research Ethics Committees of other scientific and universities etc.)
6. An approval permission for the undertaking of experiments on animals that is approved by the veterinary authority, according to the procedure described in P.D. 56/2013 (A 106), in cases where the study includes the use of animals in laboratory conditions and
7. Certification of animal use (officially recognized course.)

Contact the Committee: ehde@admin.forth.gr