Ethics Committee for security-related research (Dual Use)

Any researcher of the Faculty of Science who is eligible to apply to the German Science Foundation (DFG) may have planned research projects or research projects that are due for renewal, whether funded by the organization itself or by third parties, reviewed by a commission.

The commission will only act upon request. This must be submitted 3 months before the start of a study/project with the necessary documents. When submitting their application, the applicant scientists must point out the relevant papers and any risks that are apparent to them and relevant for the assessment by the commission in the event that the research project is carried out.

By issuing an ethics vote, the Commission provides assistance and advice on ethical aspects of its research in the field of dual use. The scientific and legal responsibility of the applicant scientists remains unaffected. The work of the commission consists of a recommendation that has neither the examination of data protection law as its object nor the purpose and goal of relieving the applicant scientists of the necessity of complying with the applicable law.

If data protection issues need to be clarified in the context of an application, reference is made to the competent body. Applications will not be processed by the responsible commission until the admissibility of the project under data protection law has been clarified.

The application must also be accompanied by a statement as to whether, where applicable and with what result, applications with the same content have already been submitted previously or, for example in the case of multicenter studies, simultaneously and, if applicable, rejected.