For medical research, Austria legally mandates formal review by an ethics committee. But ethical questions are equally relevant for research projects that do not fall under these legal regulations. What information should research participants be given in order to make informed decisions about their participation? How do researchers ensure that nobody is harmed as a result of their activities? What kinds of fair compensation for research participants exist? What ethical requirements do research projects have to fulfill in order to be published in high-quality international journals? What are the expectations of international funding agencies when applying for funding?

We offer advice and support for researchers on all ethical aspects of involving patients and members of the public in research – from Informed Consent to fair compensation, from questions of reflexivity to socially just research designs.

We offer templates for researchers on various ethical aspects of involving patients and members of the public in research. As of the now, you can find templates for Consent Declarations in English and German.

Formal ethics review for participatory research is not legally mandated in Austria. However, funders such as the EU and the editors of international scientific journals increasingly demand proof that an ethical opinion has been sought.

For this reason, the OIS Center has launched the LBG pilot ethics committee in 2022. In the current pilot phase, the following projects can be submitted for review:

Phase 1 (from September 2022):

• Projects with a participatory element from within LBG
• Projects with a social scientific component or methodology from within LBG

Phase 2 (tba):

External projects if:

• They use participatory or co-creative approaches AND
• The project demonstrably does not fall within the remit of another ethics committee

How does ethics review work?

We ask those interested in review to:

1. Check whether their research falls within the remit of another ethics committee, e.g. at a home/partner institution
2. Clarify any questions or concerns with us before making an application – just email fgrcu.tebuznaa@yot.np.ng
3. Download and complete the application form
4. Send the completed form to fgrcu.tebuznaa@yot.np.ng
5. During the pilot phase, we also invite feedback on how well the process works for applicants and what we could improve. If you have any feedback, contact us directly.

We aim to process all applications within a two-week timeframe.