The University of Montpellier sets up its Research Ethics Committee

A new step in the constitution of the University of Montpellier's bodies since its transformation into an experimental public establishment, Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, Jacques Mercier, Vice-President in charge of research, and Marie-Christine Sordino, Vice-President in charge of ethics and deontology, officially installed the UM Research Ethics Committee at its first meeting on Tuesday December 8, 2022. Thierry Lavabre-Bertrand, PUPH at the Faculté de Médecine de Montpellier-Nîmes and at the CHU de Nîmes, and Marie-Elisabeth André, Emeritus Professor of Private Law and Criminal Sciences and Honorary Dean of the Faculté de Droit et Science politique, were elected Chairman and Vice-Chairwoman of the Committee respectively.

A multi-disciplinary, independent and impartial forum for reflection, the University of Montpellier's Research Ethics Committee enables lecturers and researchers to submit their research projects and protocols involving the human person, and in particular issues relating to personal data and privacy, for an ethical opinion.... The committee will not be dealing with interventional (or biomedical) research, which is governed by the Jardé Law(1) and its implementing decree(2). Such research is subject to the jurisdiction of personal protection committees.

The research ethics committee may, for example, be asked by project sponsors to :

• ethical advice on the development of new protocols;
• ethical advice in support of funding applications;
• ethical advice to support responses to internal calls for projects, as well as regional, national and international calls for projects;
• ethical advice at the request of scientific journals.

Thus, in addition to the procedure involving personal protection committees, the creation of this Research Ethics Committee will make it possible to cover all the scientific fields of the Université de Montpellier and the École nationale supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier, which is its component establishment.

Ethical and deontological principles at the heart of UM's scientific policy

Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, commented: "The creation of this committee is a perfect illustration of our commitment to ethical and responsible research. This requirement is a sine qua non for the scientific excellence of our university to shine out in the world".

The creation of this research ethics committee reinforces the measures put in place by the University of Montpellier to promote awareness of the importance of ethical and deontological principles in the face of the issues raised by scientific progress and its repercussions on contemporary society, whatever the field of research. Among the measures already deployed are a charter of good practice in scientific integrity and the application of the Nagoya protocol on access to genetic resources.

(1) Law of March 5, 2012 on research involving the human person
(2) Implementing Decree n°2016-1537 of November 16, 2016 (articles R1121-1 and R.1121 of the Public Health Code)