The Joint Ethics Committee of Bavarian Universities (GEHBa) is celebrating its first anniversary: five years after it was founded, it has become the central point of contact for research ethics at Bavarian universities. Since then, over 350 ethics votes have already been processed, 150 of them in 2024 alone - a figure that underlines the growing importance of ethical standards in research.
‘Today, ethics votes are indispensable for successful scientific publishing and the acquisition of research funding,’ explain GEHBa spokespersons Dr Julia Krumme, Augsburg University of Applied Sciences, Prof Dr Karsten Weber, OTH Regensburg, and Prof Dr Walter Swoboda, Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences. ‘With the GEHBa, we have created an urgently needed infrastructure that provides optimal support for researchers at Bavarian universities of applied sciences (HAW), especially doctoral candidates,’ adds Dr Martin Schmieder, Managing Director of the GEHBa.
Comprehensive service from application to counselling
The commission, which was established in 2019/2020, offers much more than just the assessment of research projects; it also supports researchers in the formulation of their ethics applications. A two-part online course via the Virtual University of Bavaria (vhb) and extensive information materials are available free of charge to all researchers in Bavaria and beyond.
The GEHBa also acts as a cooperation partner of the Joint Committee of the DFG and Leopoldina on dealing with security-relevant research. In its role as the Commission for Ethics in Security-Related Research (KEF), it is the official point of contact for dual-use issues at Bavarian universities of applied sciences.
Increasing demand expected due to research expansion
The GEHBa's success story is only just beginning: with the continuous expansion of research activities at Bavarian universities of applied sciences and the establishment of new doctoral centres, a further increase in the number of applications is expected. The commission is already supporting this development with courses and lectures on the rules of good scientific work. In May 2024, the GEHBa met at OTH Regensburg, where members of the GEHBa, university management and representatives from research discussed forward-looking topics and challenges in the field of ethical principles in higher education and research under the motto ‘Setting the course’.
Nationwide interest in the Bavarian model
The success of the GEHBa radiates beyond the state borders: Numerous enquiries from other federal states confirm the model character of the Bavarian solution: ‘We are seeing great interest in our integrative approach, which combines ethics assessments, counselling and further education under one roof,’ said the GEHBa spokespersons.