11-12-2018
The Hellenic National Bioethics Commission dealt with the issue of defining the competency of Research Ethics Committees (RECs), which were recently established by law in all Universities and public Research Institutes. This issue arose due to the fact that ethics assessment in research is also within the competency of other Bodies/Authoriries (clinical trials, research in human reproductive material and animal research).
The Commission highlighted the importance of coordination and cooperation of the RECs with these Bodies, to avoid phenomena of bureaucratic restrains in research and to avoid weakening the ethics assessment, which is an inherent institution for good research practice.
Specifically for research in animals, the present Recommendation has been issued in agreement with the National Committee for the Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes, a public Body established to oversee the implementation of the relevant EU law.