Welcome to the website of the Research Ethics Committee (FEK) of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences.
The FEK sees itself as an advisory body for all researchers at our university. Our aim is to support you in the planning and realisation of your research projects and to advise you on compliance with ethical standards. The review of research projects serves to ensure the protection and well-being of study participants and all other affected parties in general, as well as to strengthen the integrity of your research.
The statutory tasks of the Commission are based on the applicable legal framework, the guidelines of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the recognised ethical principles of the respective disciplines.
The primary task of the FEK is the ethical assessment of research projects carried out by members of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, especially if these are:
Research with Potential social risks is linked to technical applications (e.g. information security, biological research, artificial intelligence).
Research on or with humans, in particular with Vulnerable groups of people are carried out, or if the
The audit focuses in particular on whether your project:
A positive vote by the FEK does not release researchers from their own ultimate ethical and legal responsibility for the research project.
All persons working full-time at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences and doctoral candidates working on their dissertation projects are eligible to apply.
Student examination papers generally require none formal vote of the FEK. An exception exists if, for example, a Publication of the results is planned, or the work is planned as part of a third-party funded research project arises. In these cases, the application must be submitted by the carer be submitted. For all other student theses (examinations) with ethical relevance, we offer a non-binding Counselling to.
We encourage supervisors to make use of this offer if necessary and to include principles of ethical behaviour in science in their own method-oriented courses. The following table provides an overview of selected application types and assessment procedures.
| Application type | Applicant | Required test |
|---|---|---|
| Research projects (third-party funding, intention to publish) | Full-time employees, doctoral candidates | Formal assessment with vote |
| Promotions | Doctoral candidates | Formal assessment with vote |
| Student theses (examinations, with the intention of publication or in a third-party funded project) | carer | Formal assessment with vote |
| Student theses (pure examination achievements, without publication intention or third-party funded project) | carer | In principle, no vote is required; Counselling can be provided if necessary |
| Research outside the area of responsibility (e.g. according to AMG) | all researchers | No appraisal possible; Counselling can be perceived externally |
Please submit the following documents to enable us to process your application quickly:
If necessary, the FEK Further documents be requested
The complete application and the necessary attachments are available via the protected area in the Moodle course of the Research Ethics Committee to upload.
To ensure that your application can be processed at the next meeting, please submit your documents by no later than four weeks before the next meeting date one. The FEK usually meets at least once per semester. Votes are communicated to the applicants no later than four weeks after the FEK meeting. The exact dates will be announced university-wide in good time.
| Step | Description of the | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| 1st submission | Applicants upload complete documents to the Moodle course | Applicant |
| 2. formal examination | (Deputy) Chairperson Check responsibility and completeness | (Deputy) Chairperson |
| 3. appraisal | Distribution to at least 2 commission members for content review and preparation of the vote. | Commission members |
| 4. counselling | Presentation, discussion and debate of the proposal in plenary session | FEK |
| 5. resolution | Vote on the vote | FEK |
| 6. communication | Written notification of the vote incl. reasons/conditions | (Deputy) Chairperson |
Your application may receive one of the following three results:
Major concerns: The project is rejected in the form submitted. You will receive a justification and can resubmit a revised application.
No major concerns: The project is approved without reservation.
No major concerns, but with comments/conditions: The project is approved as soon as the aforementioned conditions are met.
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