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ETHICS AND TRANSPARENCY COMMITTEE - CET

The Ethics and Transparency Committee (CET) is an advisory body that monitors and regulates compliance with the principles of ethics and transparency in research. It is made up of researchers from the Universidad Privada Boliviana (UPB), with experience in various areas of knowledge. The CET acts with autonomy and independence in the issuance of its judgments and without pressure or academic, personal or economic interests.

CREATION DATE

Dec 2019

OBJECTIVE

The fundamental role of the CET is to protect the rights, life, integrity, health, privacy, dignity and well-being of all living beings and biodiversity that participate or may be indirectly affected by an investigation; in addition to guaranteeing the scientific validity of the project.

FUNCTIONS

The Committee advises the Vice President for Research on the following matters:

  •     Establish procedures and standards, evaluate proposals and reports from professors, researchers, and carry out any other activity related to Research responsibilities.
  •     Evaluate the methodological, ethical and legal aspects of the research protocols presented with a focus on protection and safeguarding of the rights of direct and indirect participants in the research.
  •     Approve or disapprove the evaluated research protocols, exhausting any additional clarifying information on the projects presented.
  •     Guide and give guidelines to the researcher in their tasks and responsibilities regarding the ethical aspects of the research.
  •     Supervise compliance with the ethical commitments and requirements of approved research, from the beginning to the receipt of the final report, at appropriate intervals.
  •     Assess the suitability of the Principal Investigator and her team for the project presented.
  •     Evaluate the conditions of the facilities of the research centers for the protection of the people or subjects of the research.

FORMS OF EVALUATION
  1. Full Review.- Review of a proposal made by all members of the Committee. Proposals are approved by a simple majority of the members present at each meeting. At least one non-scientific member and one scientific member of the Committee must be present.
        Expedited Review.- This process allows the review of a proposal more quickly than the review process by the full Committee, but the proposal must fall under one of the categories eligible for expedited review. Proposals and decisions made must be notified to the full board. Research activities that only involve procedures that pose no greater than minimal risk to the human beings participating in the research may be reviewed by expedited procedure. The expedited review procedure cannot be used if the identification or responses of participants could reasonably place them at risk of civil or criminal liability, or harm them. The only exception is that reasonable and appropriate safeguards are put in place so that risks are minimal.

REQUIREMENTS TO REQUEST AN EVALUATION

Complete description of the proposed research with the following minimum contents:
        Appropriate and scientifically valid research design and methods.
        Research plan for data collection, storage and analysis.
    The qualifications of the principal investigator and scientific collaborators.
    Identification and evaluation of the risks and expected benefits.
    Determination of minimized risks and their relationship with potential benefits.
    Informed consent.
    Process and documentation of the informed consent of the participants.

    Recruitment, identification and selection process of subjects with considerations of equity in terms of sex, race and ethnicity, if necessary.

    The benefits are distributed equitably among the populations that make up the community.
    Additional protections are provided for vulnerable or susceptible populations to be encouraged to participate.
    The protections that guarantee that the recruitment of subjects does not invade the privacy of the individuals and that there are procedures that ensure the monitoring of the confidentiality of the information collected during the investigation.
    Additional information on identification, recruitment, and protections if the research involves special populations.
    Provisions for the adequate protection of the rights and well-being of the subjects.
    Compliance with relevant local and national laws and regulations, and institutional policies.


COMMITTEE

PRESIDENT

MEMBERS


CONTACT

Alex Villazón

Email: avillazon@upb.edu

Tel.: 591-4-4268287 Int 427