Since 2020, TU Wien has been testing a peer review based Pilot Research Ethics Committee (Pilot REC). Researchers at TU Wien who involve human participants in their research can apply for a peer review by the Pilot REC. Meetings are held every third Friday of the month during the semester. In this peer review process researchers receive feedback from 3-4 reviewers (TUW researchers from different fields) on their research proposals, in particular concerning the ethical aspects of involving human participants. The Pilot REC does not approve research proposal, but rather provides recommendations and supports reflection on those aspects of the research that need to be taken into account from the perspective of research ethics. The researcher remains responsible for taking the appropriate course of action. Submitting a proposal for ethics peer review is currently done on a voluntary basis. To ensure a smooth review process, the research ethics coordination needs your research project documents by the 1st of the month.

The Pilot REC is currently in high demand – if you wish to discuss your research project within this framework of ethics peer review, contact us in due time: ethics@tuwien.ac.at