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Research Ethics Committee

REC is responsible for institutional review and approval of research projects with SDU researchers as principle investigators. The possibility of obtaining a research ethics approval from REC is an offer, not a requirement.

When do researchers need REC approval?

At SDU, review by the REC is a non-compulsory offer. However, external organizations, such as for example the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US, European funders, or journals, frequently demand ethical approval before granting funds, accepting a publication or engaging in other types of partnering activities, and researchers are required to prove that their research project complies with the relevant ethical requirements.

Research projects that have already been approved by the Danish Regional or National Ethical Committee System (RVK or NVK) or other accepted ethical bodies (such as Dyreforsøgstilsynet/Danish Animal Experiments Inspectorate for experiments involving animals) do not need approval by the SDU REC for Danish research projects. However, such projects will often also need REC approval if funded by a US grant.

For questions regarding GDPR in the narrow sense, please contact SDU’s Data Protection Officer (DPO) via dpo@sdu.dk.

How to apply for REC approval

REC reviews and approves research projects from SDU researchers and PhD students.  REC only reviews projects before data collection and enrolment of participants has been initiated.

To submit a project to the REC  for review you must fill out REC's online application questionnaire and submit supplemental documentation such as project description, participant information and other relevant information. 

For more information about the application process, please see www.sdu.dk/REC/application

For questions and comments, please contact sdu-rec@sdu.dk.

 

Meeting dates and application deadlines 2023

  • January 11 (application deadline December 14)
  • February 8 (application deadline January 11)
  • March 8 (application deadline February 8)
  • April 19 (application deadline March 15)
  • May 17 (application deadline April 19)
  • June 14 (application deadline May 17)
  • August 23 (application deadline June 21)
  • September 20 (application deadline August 23)
  • October 25 (application deadline September 20)
  • November 15 (application deadline October 25)
  • December 13 (application deadline November 15)

Approval duration and renewal

All REC approvals issued as from 2021 shall have a period of validity of 6 or 12 months from the date of issue.
If the project is still active when the approval expires, you can request a renewal of the approval.
In practice you will receive an invitation with a link to an application for renewal of the approval. REC sends the invitation approximately two months before the approval expires. This happens automatically, and therefore does not require you to ask for it.
You will be asked to indicate if the project is still active, if it is progressing as planned, and if the basis on which the approval was granted is still valid. The REC will then assess whether a renewal can be issued, or whether you will be asked to provide further information.
The practice of issuing approvals with a certain period of validity helps to ensure that REC's approvals meet international standards.
 

Committee members

The REC includes a chair person, a lay/community representative, representatives from the administration, and representatives from each of SDU’s five faculties (primary and alternate members). The REC is supported by a Research Ethics Consultant who serves as the point of contact.

The REC-members appointed by the faculties are:

  • Chair: Professor Kirsten Kyvik (Fac. of Health Sciences, Dept. of Clinical Research)
  • Lay/community representative: Pastor Susanne Haastrup Holst
  • Faculty of Science: Professor Lars Porskjær Christensen (FKF)
  • Faculty of Humanities: Ass. Professor Stig Børsen Hansen (IDK), Professor Anne Gerdes (IDK)
  • Faculty of Engineering: Ass. Professor Eva Arnspang Christensen (IGT), Ass. Professor Dylan Cawthorne (MMMI)
  • Faculty of Health Sciences: Ass. Professor Søren Fryd Birkeland (OPEN), Ass. Professor Henrik Steen Hansen (KI), Ass. Professor Mikael Thingaard (IST), Professor Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani (IOB)
  • Faculty of Business and Social Sciences: Professor Stephan Billinger (IMM), Professor Morten Skovsgaard (Centre for Journalism)
  • Corporate Communication: Head of Media Relations Bolette Marie Kjær Jørgensen
  • SDU Library: Research Librarian, Ass. Prof. Lone Bredahl Jensen, Research Librarian Mette Brandt Eriksen

The background of the REC

When applying for external funding or when submitting papers to leading scientific journals, researchers are more and more often demanded to prove that their research projects comply with certain ethical standards. Previously, SDU did not have one uniform way, accepted broadly by external funders and journals, of providing ethical support and approval.

By establishing a university-wide Research Ethics Committee, SDU aims to provide such ethical support and an approval system that is helpful for researchers.
In the US system, a committee like this is called Institutional Review Board (IRB). SDU’s REC is listed by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) as IORG0010945.

REC was initiated by RI Council (RI-rådet) in February 2018 and approved by the SDU Executive Board (SDU Direktionen) in May 2018. 

Contact

For questions or comments please contact sdu-rec@sdu.dk.

Last Updated 11.08.2023