Research Ethics Committee in the Natural, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering

On this page, you can find basic information on the duties and activities of the Research Ethics Committee in the Natural, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering. You can also find the names and contact details of the committee members, and instructions for drawing up a request for a statement.

Statement requests may relate, for example, to the ethics of artificial intelligence research conducted with methods other than those of human science research, the dual use of research, or research whose implementation or results affect biodiversity, the climate or the environment. The ethical review of research on humans or animals is conducted by other ethics committees.

The committee’s statements and activities guide the development of research ethics in the natural, biological and environmental sciences as well as engineering. The committee also offers consultation in matters relating to research ethics, and provides advice for solving research ethics problems.
Members of the committee during the term 2022–2025

Chair

Senior University Lecturer Ilkka Korpela, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry

Secretary

Senior Advisor Ulla Lahtinen, PhD, Research Services

Members

Associate Professor Johan Ekroos

Professor Emilia Kilpua

Professor Gareth Law

University Lecturer Sirkku Manninen

University Researcher Päivi Mäntyniemi

Professor Jukka Nurminen

Associate Professor Laura Ruotsalainen

Professor Susanne Wiedmer

Associate Professor Indre Zliobaite
Submission of documents

Each study connected to a request for a statement must be part of the research activities of the University of Helsinki. The principal investigator of the study must be employed by the University of Helsinki. Project funding, a grant or a visiting principal investigator’s contract at the University of Helsinki for the duration of the project is also considered a sufficient affiliation.

The committee does not review studies that have already commenced.

Please read the instructions for statement requests carefully and be sure to include all the required attachments with your request.

The committee bases its statements on the following required documents written in English:

  • Cover letter
  • Grounds for the need for an ethical review
  • Research plan (max. six pages)
  • Assessment of the ethics of the study by the person responsible for it
  • Plan for the management of research material
  • Data protection statement on scholarly research if personal data are processed in the study 

The potential harm and risks of the study must be described so that the research ethics committee can evaluate the ethics of the study, weighing up possible risks to research participants against the intended scholarly value of the study.

The committee follows the principle of openness as stipulated by the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999), according to which official documents shall be in the public domain. Consequently, the committee has decided that all documents except research plans and their appendices are considered public documents.
Meeting schedule

The Committee meetings scheduled for the autumn term 2024 are:

24.9.2024

12.11.2024

The Committee meetings scheduled for the spring term 2025 are:

5.3.2025

15.5.2025
Request a statement

Please submit your request for a statement as a single PDF document at least two weeks before the relevant meeting.

You should submit your statement request on this form.