The University of Montpellier Establishes Its Research Ethics Committee
In a new step toward establishing the governing bodies of the University of Montpellier 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 theUM Research Ethics CommitteeUM its first meeting on Tuesday, December 8, 2022. Thierry Lavabre-Bertrand, Professor of Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine of Montpellier-Nîmes and at 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 allows 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 approached by project leaders to:
- an ethical review of the development of new protocols;
- an ethics statement to support funding applications;
- an ethical opinion to support responses to internal calls for proposals, as well as—and above all—regional, national, and international calls for proposals;
- an ethical review at the request of scientific journals.
Thus, in addition to the process involving the Human Subjects Protection Committees, the creation 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 theUM’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 ensuring that our university’s scientific excellence is recognized worldwide.”
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 light of 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)