Research Ethics Committee: "Providing answers to academic and societal questions"

The Université de Lyon’s Research Ethics Committee (CER - Comité d’éthique de la recherche) was officially established on January 11, 2022, after having been approved by the UdL’s Board of Directors. The first team was formed back in 2020 and has since been actively working on setting up this body, which is crucial for research practices on the Lyon Saint-Étienne university site.

While research involving the human person (RIPH - Recherches impliquant la personne humaine) is already regulated by the French Public Health Code, the ethical evaluation of research protocols in other academic fields is less equal. Such research nevertheless must stay in line with the evolution of research ethics, the need for student training, and the concerns of national and international funders and publishers. The CER-UdL is our way of meeting these expectations.

The CER-UdL’s main task is to provide an advisory opinion on research protocols (both for basic and applied research) to researchers and research professors within the Université de Lyon. This means that all of our researchers, whether in the life and material sciences, humanities and social sciences, engineering, information and communication technologies, languages, business, and so on, can benefit from a complete, ethical perspective on their practices.

The CER-UdL meets every month to evaluate the research protocols that have been submitted for evaluation. The wide range of expertise of its 16 members, all of whom are affiliated with research institutions in Lyon and Saint-Étienne, will enable us to provide comprehensive opinions, ensuring that the research practices are not only in line with the ethical requirements of our university site, but also of society as a whole.

How can I submit a research project to the CER-UdL?

If you wish to propose a research protocol to the CER-UdL, you can visit the web portal where you will find the procedure for submitting your research project as well as a platform to submit your project.