The University of Montpellier Establishes Its Research Ethics Committee
In a new step in the establishment of the University of Montpellier’s governing bodies since its transformation into an experimental public institution, Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, Jacques Mercier, Vice President for Research, and Marie-Christine Sordino, Vice President for Ethics and Professional Conduct, officially inaugurated the UM Research Ethics Committee at its first meeting on Tuesday, December 8, 2022. Thierry Lavabre-Bertrand, Associate Professor at the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine and the Nîmes University Hospital, and Marie-Elisabeth André, Professor Emerita of Private Law and Criminal Sciences and Honorary Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science, were elected Chair and Vice-Chair of this Committee, respectively.
As a multidisciplinary, independent, and impartial forum for reflection, the University of Montpellier’s Research Ethics Committee enables Professors and researchers to submit their research projects and protocols involving human subjects—particularly those addressing issues related to personal data and privacy—for ethical review. The committee does not handle interventional (or biomedical) research, which is governed by the Jardé Law(1) and its implementing decree(2). Such research falls under the jurisdiction of the Committees for the Protection of Human Subjects.
The research ethics committee may, for example, be consulted by project leaders to:
- an ethical review of the development of new protocols;
- an ethics statement in support of funding applications;
- an ethical opinion to support responses to internal calls for proposals, as well as—and especially—regional, national, and international calls for proposals;
- an ethical review requested by scientific journals.
Thus, in addition to the process involving the Human Subjects Review Boards, the establishment of this Research Ethics Committee will ensure coverage of all scientific fields at the University of Montpellier and the École nationale supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier, which is one of its constituent institutions.
Ethical and professional principles are central to the University of Montreal’s science policy
According to Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier: “The establishment of this committee perfectly illustrates our commitment to research that is honest, ethical, and responsible. This commitment is essential to promoting our university’s scientific excellence around the world.”
The creation of this research ethics committee reinforces the measures put in place by the University of Montpellier to raise awareness of the importance of ethical and professional principles in addressing the questions raised by scientific progress and its contemporary societal implications, regardless of the field of research. Among these measures, examples of initiatives already implemented include the development of a charter of best practices regarding scientific integrity and the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on access to genetic resources.
(1) Law of March 5, 2012, on research involving human subjects
(2) Implementing Decree No. 2016-1537 of November 16, 2016 (Articles R.1121-1 and R.1121 of the Public Health Code)