Health Sciences Ethics Comittee

Formation of the Institutional Review Board and Its Working Principles

Formation of the Institutional Review Board                                                                                                  CLICK TO APPLY

Institutional Review Board (IRB) consists of 9 members nominated by University Senate and appointed by the rector for three years. A member whose incumbency comes to an end can be assigned again. The members select the President of IRB and a reporter among themselves.

Institutional Review Board Working Principles

Institutional Review Board meets once a month upon the invitation of the IRB President. Decisions are taken by majority voting and in case of equality of votes; the President’s vote is considered as two votes. Either personal or institutional research proposals that requested to be evaluated by the Institutional Review Board are forwarded to the IRB by means of the respective faculty deaneries, institutions and graduate school directorates of the university. Applicants from other organizations, institutions and facilities that not affiliated with Near East University should relay their applications by means of the highest authority of the respective unit. All research proposals that submitted to IRB are evaluated respectively at the first meeting. When IRB considers it necessary, researchers who proposed the research study or experts in the relevant field can be invited to the meetings to receive their opinions or the Board can send research proposals to these experts for evaluation in advance. IRB prepares forms and guides related to the application requirements and procedures. IRB review and evaluates each research proposal and informs the respective researcher about IRB’s advisory opinion as “Appropriate” or “Inappropriate”. While reviewing and evaluating research proposals that belong to member(s) of IRB, the relevant member(s) cannot participate in the meeting and cannot vote. After evaluating a research proposal, IRB may request clarifications/additions/changes in the submitted projects before giving an approval. The applicant will be informed so that (s)he may make these amendments. The Board re-evaluates such proposals at the first meeting provided that the relevant researcher(s) make the required clarifications, additions, changes, corrections or completions.

IRB’s archive services, staff employment, office and stationary supplies are provided by Rectorate.

Institutional Review Board carries out all its correspondences through the Rectorate.

IRB’s decisions are confidential; apart from the proponents no one is informed about the proposals.

Even if a research proposal receives the approval of the Ethics Committee; all legal, criminal and financial responsibility of the research belongs to the person, institution or organization, sponsor-researcher that conducted the research.