Elaboration of the Most Important Activities of the Ethics Committee in Research at Lorestan University / Issuance of 27 Ethics Codes

Dr. Hassan Norouzian, a faculty member of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Lorestan University and the person in charge of the Ethics Committee of Lorestan University, explained the most important activities carried out by this committee. The committee operates under the purview of the Vice President for Research and Technology of the University.

Report sent by Dr. Hassan Norouzian:

"The Ethics Committee in Biomedical Research of Lorestan University, with permission from the National Working Group on Ethics in Biomedical Research of the Ministry of Health, has commenced its activities on October 12, 2025, with the aim of improving the quality of research and ensuring adherence to ethical principles, especially in research related to human and animal subjects.

Adherence to these principles is an important requirement for the acceptance of articles in reputable domestic and international scientific journals.

This committee, with the membership of 13 professors and experts from within and outside the university in various fields, reviews research proposals from a scientific and ethical perspective and announces the necessary corrections to the researchers.

In this regard, a special section of the Ethics Committee has also been created on the university website to facilitate access to regulations and processes for faculty members.

So far, 8 meetings of the Ethics Committee have been held. Initially, the meetings were held in person and weekly, but with the formation of the screening committee and the holding of virtual meetings, the process of reviewing the projects has been accelerated and the need for the presence of applicants has been reduced.

However, sensitive research, including clinical trials, is still reviewed in the main committee meetings.

According to this report, 27 ethics codes have been issued for university researchers, and all referred proposals have successfully received an ethics code after making corrections.

The majority of applicants were from the fields of psychology, physical education, veterinary medicine, and animal sciences.

The codes obtained can be viewed on the website of the Ministry's Ethics Working Group at: https://ethics.research.ac.ir/PortalCommittee.php?code=IR.UL.REC.

Also, in the process of registering proposals in the Golestan system, the approval of the Ethics Committee is predicted as one of the necessary steps.

In order to enhance the awareness of faculty members and students, specialized workshops on 'Fundamentals of Ethics in Research' and 'Principles of Working with Laboratory Animals' have been held.

It is expected that the activities of this committee will play an effective role in improving the quality of research and strengthening the scientific standing of Lorestan University."