Ethics & Research Integrity

The Ethics Committee of UE safeguards ethical standards in research, teaching, and academic practice. It provides guidance, reviews proposals, and ensures compliance with national and international ethical frameworks.

Scope & Responsibilities

  • Reviewing research proposals for ethical compliance
  • Ensuring the protection of human participants and data privacy
  • Supporting staff and students with ethical questions
  • Promoting ethical awareness and integrity in teaching and research

Overview of the Review Process

  1. Submission of Study – Researchers submit their proposal, including details on study design, participants, consent, data handling, risks, and compliance with GDPR.
  2. Review and Discussion – The committee reviews the application, discusses ethical considerations, and may request clarifications.
  3. Decision and Evaluation Report – The applicant receives a written decision with feedback, which may include approval, approval with conditions, or rejection.
  4. Final Report – After the study is completed, a short report is submitted to the committee outlining the course of the study and any issues encountered.

For full details, please refer to the official document:

Process of Ethical Evaluation (PDF)

Please plan your study timeline so that sufficient time is reserved for the ethical review process. We recommend allowing at least three months for the evaluation.

a group of people sitting outside

Our Ethical Framework

The work of the Ethics Committee is based on the Kodex zur Sicherung guter wissenschaftlicher Praxis und zum Umgang mit wissenschaftlichem Fehlverhalten of UE. This code defines the principles of honesty, transparency, and accountability in research and teaching, and follows the guidelines of the German Research Foundation (DFG, 2019).
All members of the university community – students, researchers, and faculty – are committed to these principles. The Ethics Committee ensures that research proposals comply with the Kodex and with applicable legal and ethical standards.
For detailed information, please see the official documents:
Kodex zur Sicherung guter wissenschaftlicher Praxis (PDF) Ordnung der Ethikkommission (PDF) Report Ethical Evaluations

Contact Information

For questions regarding ethical approval or guidance, please contact our Vice-President Research Prof. Iris Lorscheid. We encourage students and researchers to reach out early in their project planning