Research ethics
Universität Hamburg is committed to ensuring that ethical principles are established and observed in research. For this reason, Universität Hamburg researchers have the option to contact ethics committees if they have questions about ethical matters.
Risks in research
In which cases should the vote of an ethics committee be sought?
In principle, an ethics committee should be contacted if a research project involves significant risks to human dignity, life, health, freedom, property, the environment, or peaceful coexistence.
You should seek advice on the ethicalness of the following research projects in advance:
- research involving humans
- projects involving personal data
- research involving animal testing
- projects involving risks from radiation or resulting in environmental damage
- dual use
Ethics committees
Whom should I contact?
The Academic Ethics Council deals with questions of ethics in science and scholarship. Researchers can also contact ethics committees in various departments. Below, you will find a list of the committees
- Research ethics advisory council (in German only)
- Ethics committee for the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences
- Ethics committee for the Faculty of Medicine (in German only)
- Ethics committee for the Faculty of Education (in German only)
- Ethics committee for the Faculty of Humanities
- Ethics committee for the Faculty of Psychology and Human Movement Science
- Ethics committee for the Faculty of Business Administration
- Bylaws for the ethics committee for the Faculty of Law (in German only)
- Checklist for self-assessment as part of the MIN faculty's civil clause
- Ethics committee for the Department of Informatics
- Ethics committee and recommendations of the Cluster of Excellence Understanding Written Artefacts