Institutional Ethics Committee

The Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) will review and approve all research protocols involving human participants, with a primary focus on safeguarding the dignity, rights, safety, and wellbeing of all actual and potential participants. Regardless of the significance of the research objectives, these goals must never take precedence over the health and welfare of research participants. The IEC will ensure that the fundamental principles of research ethics, Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-malfeasance, and Justice, are rigorously upheld in the design, conduct, and reporting of all proposed studies. The IEC promotes good clinical practices (GCP) in all the studies approved by the committee. 

In research involving AI tools, algorithms, or data-driven methodologies, the IEC will additionally evaluate ethical safeguards specific to AI, including transparency, data privacy, algorithmic fairness, explainability, and mitigation of potential biases or harms. The committee will carefully review the informed consent process, risk–benefit assessments, equitable distribution of burdens and benefits, and provisions for appropriate compensation where required.

Any protocol submitted to the IEC should have undergone review by the Scientific Advisory Board to ensure that the proposed work is scientifically robust, clinically relevant, and strategically aligned with TANUH objectives and public health needs. The IEC will conduct oversight from the initial proposal stage through the entire lifecycle of the study, including post-completion monitoring, using well-documented procedures such as annual and final reports, and site visits. Compliance with all regulatory requirements, applicable guidelines, and relevant laws, including those pertaining to AI research, will be examined. The IEC’s mandate encompasses the review of all research projects involving human subjects, including studies using human biological materials and data, conducted at the Institute, irrespective of the source of funding.