EURECNET · European Research Ethics Committees’ Network

EURECNET is a network that brings together national REC associations, networks or comparable initiatives but also other bodies relevant in the field of research involving human participants like National Ethics Councils and the European Commission’s ethical review system. Such a network forms the infrastructural basis to promote awareness of specific working practices of RECs across Europe, to enhance the shared knowledge base of European RECs, to support coherent reviews and opinions and to meet new challenges and emerging ethical issues. The central objective of EURECNET as a Coordinating Action is to foster the already existing network of European REC networks (in short “EUREC”). In particular, the contribution of EURECNET aims at five different levels: - fostering a sustainable infrastructure for European RECs (including a statute and a secretariat) to promote exchange and cooperation and to allow for international cooperation; - gathering information on RECs in Europe to build a basis for mutual exchange - collecting and evaluating training materials for REC members to enhance the quality of review; - conducting capacity building to facilitate the development of national REC networks (as future partners of EUREC); - identifying emerging ethical issues to develop common solutions for challenges posed by new technologies and scientific methodologies.