CoROM Institutional Research Ethics Committee (IREC)

The CoROM Institutional Research Ethics Committee (IREC) is an independent body responsible for the ethical review and oversight of all research projects involving human participants, their biological samples, or their identifiable personal data.

The mission of the CoROM Institutional Research Ethics Committee (IREC) is to uphold the highest ethical standards in all research involving human participants conducted under the auspices of the College. We are dedicated to safeguarding the dignity, rights, safety, and well-being of all individuals who contribute to the advancement of knowledge in remote and offshore medicine.

IREC SUBMISSIONS

Find the necessary Forms to initiate a research ethics review, submit amendments and annual progress report.

Go To Submissions Page

IREC DOCUMENTS

Read the CoROM IREC SOP and find documents and links to relevant legislations.

View Documents

IREC MEMBERS

The IREC is composed of a multidisciplinary team of experts to ensure a comprehensive and competent review.

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Primary Goals Of IREC

Protect Research Participants:

We ensure that all research rigorously protects the welfare and rights of participants. This includes a thorough review of how researchers will obtain informed consent and protect confidential data, which is especially critical in the unique contexts of remote and offshore research.

Ensure Ethical Conduct:

The IREC provides ethical oversight from the initial proposal to the completion of the research. We review, approve, and monitor research to guarantee that it is conducted with integrity and respect. This includes the submission of annual progress reports by researchers.

Maintain Compliance:

We ensure that all research complies with the relevant ethical principles, institutional policies, and national and EU regulations, including data protection laws (GDPR, CAP 586).

Support Researchers:

We guide and support our research community – including faculty, staff, and students – in conducting ethically sound research.

"Ethics guidance for research involving human participants has been developed and disseminated by numerous organizations and agencies at international [...], regional, and national levels over the past 50 years. Adherence to these guidelines helps to promote the ethical conduct of research, and enhances and protects the rights and well-being of research participants and communities. A core component of all contemporary research ethics guidelines is that research should be subject to prior ethical review by a competent REC. Such review is intended to ensure that the ethical principles and practices put forward in the guidelines will be followed in the proposed research."

World Health Organization. Standards and Operational Guidance for Ethics Review of Health-Related Research with Human Participants. (2011)

All researchers planning to conduct studies under the CoROM banner must submit an application for ethical review and receive approval from the IREC before commencing any research activities.