The Tasks of the Ethics Committee

The BOKU Statutes ("Satzung") stipulate that the Ethics Committee can only become active upon written, substantiated application by members of BOKU University.

The BOKU Statutes (C1 Ethikkommission, §13b) also define the tasks of the Ethics Committee:

(1) The Ethics Committee issues Ethics Statements on research peojects:

  1. research projects involving human participants: for example, research (e.g. interviews, surveys, eye tracking, video observations) which could potentially infringe the rights (e.g. right to privacy, personal rights), the safety and well-being of human participants (e.g. physical or psychological integrity), or could affect their essential interests.

  2. research projects involving animals: for example, studies in which vertebrates are used in a way that goes beyond mere observation or medical care, or when they could be significantly affected by interventions in the ecosystem. The Ethics Committee does not address research projects involving animal experiments, as these are subject to legal approval according to the Animal Testing Act 2021, or research with animals which require other legal approval.

(2) In its Ethics Statement, the Ethics Committee shall assess whether the protection of the rights, safety and welfare of the involved human participants (para. 1 no. 1) resp. the compliance with the requirements of the Austrian Animal Welfare Law (para. 1 no. 2) are adequately ensured during the implementation of the research project.

 

Publications in Mitteilungsblatt (official journal of BOKU University)

The Ethics Commission took up its activities in October 2020.

The Ethics Committee has drawn up  Rules of Procedure, which were approved by the Senate and the Rectorate. The revised and currently valid version was published in Mitteilungsblatt of 2 February 2023.

The members for the 2nd term of office (October 2024 to September 2028) were announced in Mitteilungsblatt of 5 July 2024.