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Faculty of Law

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Ethics Committee for the Faculty of Law

The ethics committee for the Faculty of Law at the University of Hamburg (REWI) has been set up to judge ethical matters in research conducted in the faculty.

The REWI Ethics Commission ensures that research in and by the faculty is conducted in accordance with the ethical standards established in the individual subject areas. It also advises members of the faculty who have questions about the ethical aspects of their research and raises awareness about research ethics.

Submitting the request 

If you would like to have the REWI Ethics Committee review your research project with respect to ethical concerns, you can submit, you must submit a request to the REWI Ethics Committee.

When you plan your project, be aware that a standard review procedure generally takes up to 6 weeks starting from the receipt of the request.

Members of the Ethics Committee

The REWI Ethics Committee consists of five members. In the REWI Ethics Committee, there should be a balanced representation of researchers, subject areas, and methodologies at the faculty..

The current members of the REWI Ethics Committee are listed here.

FAQ

See our FAQ for more information about dealing with topics such as the review procedure, information about the right to submit a review request, data protection, links to guidelines from relevant institutions.

Who is eligible to submit a review request?

All members and associates of the REWI Faculty who are primarily responsible for conducting research projects are authorized to make an application. Research project applications to the REWI Ethics Committee from individuals who are not doctoral graduates must be accompanied by a statement from the supervisor. Students at the faculty may apply for an evaluation of the ethical aspects of proposed research projects required for achieving a qualification if the principal supervisor deems it necessary.

Is it mandatory to submit a review request?

Submitting a request for review of a research project by the REWI Ethics Committee is not mandatory. Requests can be submitted by eligible applicants if they wish to ensure the ethical nature of their research or if a third party (e.g., when applying for external funding or in case of publication) requires an ethics review.

What do I need to know about the ethics review procedure?

Generally, the standard procedure for reviewing ethical aspects of research conducted in the REWI takes 6 weeks. The ethics committee's decision will be sent to you in writing.

When should a request be submitted?

An expert opinion of the ethics committee about externally funded research projects must be submitted well in advance of the planned start of the project. As a rule, submitting a request to the REWI Ethics Committee after you submit the grant application to the external funding provider is sufficient. Exceptions: The external funding provider demands an ethics vote when the grant application is submitted; short grant approval periods of under 6 months on the part of the funding provider. In particular, if the Ethics Committee needs to provide an expert opinion on the entire project, the request needs to be submitted before the external funding provider grants the application. For individual, clearly distinguishable subprojects within the overall project, it may be possible to conduct an expert review after external funding has been granted. Criteria in this case include the ability to clearly separate the subproject from the overall project; this also needs to be justified when the application is submitted and the request for a review must be made well in advance of the start of the subproject. We strongly advise you, in the case of complex projects, to contact the managing director of the Ethics Committee to clarify any questions before you submit a request.

Do I also need to have a data protection review?

As part of the review of research projects by REWI Ethics Committee, aspects relating to data protection are also queried. However, the REWI Ethics Committee does not conduct a data protection review within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

For all research projects that include the processing of personal information, you must comply with statutory provisions. To determine whether data protection requirements need to be observed for your research project and which data protection requirements are particularly relevant, the University’s data protection staff have provided the following information.

According to Article 30 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), all activities for which personal information needs to be processed must be listed in a record of processing activities (RoPA). For research projects conducted at the University of Hamburg, the University’s data protection team(datenschutz"AT"uni-hamburg.de) is the right contact. Find the report on processing activities (RoPA) below: