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The Ethics Committee Network for Spanish Universities opens a new web portal

By 6 de February de 2006November 18th, 2020No Comments
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 06.02.2006

The Ethics Committee Network for Spanish Universities opens a new web portal

Scientific and technological progress is accompanied by social debate about the ethical aspects of research and development, particularly issues related to biomedicine, genetics and animal research. The new web portal of the , which will be managed by the Bioethics Commission of the Universitat de Barcelona (UB, University of Barcelona) , seeks to promote debate, communication and collaboration regarding the ethical issues related to research performed in Spain.

Operational since 1 February, the new portal aims to provide the scientific community with a virtual tool through which to facilitate and promote contact and collaboration between institutional ethics committees and commissions. The web supplies the scientific community with relevant information on protocols, regulations, documents, news, calls for public financing, links of interest, discussion forums and other tools to address the challenges that present-day research faces.

The regulations governing the distinct calls for research funding demand compliance with current legislation and the authorization of the ethics committee of the centre or institution when the project involves research on humans, use of personal information or samples of human origin, animal experimentation, use of biological agents or genetically modified organisms. In this regard, the ethics committees developed by institutions ensure respect for individual rights, animal welfare and the environment, and meet the bioethical commitments of the scientific community.

Aware of the importance of the ethical implications derived from the research in several branches of knowledge, the UB has developed several committees: the Bioethics Commission (CBUB); the Animal Research Ethics Committee (CEEA); the Clincal Research Ethics Committee of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (CEIC Hospital Clínic); and the Research Ethics Committee of the Ciutat Sanitària de Bellvitge (CEIC Bellvitge). In addition, the UB has a Bioethics and Law Observatory, which is located at the Parc Científic de Barcelona.

The I Bioethics Committee Meeting of public universities was held in Sitges in November 2002 on the initiative of the UB. This meeting generated agreements on the promotion of a bioethics committee network for public universities in Spain in order to share resources and exchange knowledge, and to further the application of common and approved operational guidelines. Later meetings were held in the University of Murcia (2003), the University of Granada (2004) and the Autonomous University of Madrid (2005).