In keynote speeches and a panel discussion on July 4, 2024 in Regensburg, a total of 53 participants - both members of the research group and external interested parties - discussed the tension between research and ethics. The work of ethics committees is particularly crucial for the publication of research results in specialist journals, which increasingly requires the submission of a positive ethics vote. Ethics committees have therefore not only been institutionalized at many Bavarian universities, but the universities of applied sciences (HAW) in Bavaria have also joined forces for this task.
BayWISS: Important platform for cross-university cooperation
Host Prof. Dr. Oliver Steffens, Vice President for Research and International Affairs at OTH Regensburg, opened the network meeting of the Joint Academic Partnership Health, which is one of eleven colleges of the Bavarian Science Forum (BayWISS) dedicated to health-related research. BayWISS serves as an important exchange platform and strengthens cooperation between universities and HAW, emphasized Prof. Dr. Ernst Tamm, Vice President for Research and Promotion of Young Scientists at the University of Regensburg and spokesperson (universities) of the Joint Academic Partnership Health. Young scientists can thus be offered excellent opportunities for academic qualification.
Enables independent assessments at Bavarian universities of applied sciences: the GEHBa
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Elmar Buchner, speaker (HAW) of the college and deputy head of the DigiHealth Institute at HNU, then introduced the main focus of the event: He presented the Joint Ethics Committee of Bavarian Universities (GEHBa) and shed light on the acceptance of ethics votes from universities and HAW. Founded in 2020, the GEHBa is dedicated to the constructive evaluation of ethically relevant aspects of planned non-medical research projects on and with humans at Bavarian universities. The interdisciplinary commission, which now has 28 members at 15 universities and a competence center in the Free State of Bavaria, thus provides an indispensable service for good scientific practice.
Responsibility as a common guiding principle
The following professional exchange was preceded by two keynote speeches: Prof. Dr. Alexandra Manzei-Gorsky, Professor of Sociology and Health Research at the University of Augsburg, addressed the regulatory function of ethics committees and discussed the extent to which this affects freedom of research. Prof. Dr. Karsten Weber, expert in technology assessment at the OTH Regensburg and Director of the Center of Health Sciences and Technology, offered the participants a historical outline of the debate on ethics and called for responsibility as a common guiding principle of research and ethics committees.
Panel discussion highlights conflicting goals and similarities
In the subsequent panel discussion, which was moderated by Prof. Dr. Andrea Pfingsten, Professor of Physiotherapy Science at OTH Regensburg, the two speakers discussed with other experts. Prof. Dr. Miriam Banas, member of the Ethics Committee at the University of Regensburg and Managing Senior Physician for Nephrology, Prof. Dr. Walter Swoboda, Head of the DigiHealth Institute at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences and founding member, Chairman and Spokesperson of GEHBa, and Dr. Martin Schmieder, Managing Director of GEHBa, contributed their perspectives on the complex of topics and outlined conflicts and potentials in the area of conflict between research and ethics. Among other things, the question of what role the composition of ethics committees plays in their work was discussed intensively.
Doctoral projects reflect the diversity of topics covered by the research training group
The program also included two presentations by doctoral students from the Joint Academic Partnership, which provided insights into the wide range of topics covered by the Joint Academic Partnership. Luisa Falkenstörfer (TH Würzburg-Schweinfurt / University of Würzburg) presented her project on promoting autonomy in chronically ill patients through the use of digital tools. Manuel Artmann (OTH Regensburg / University of Regensburg) presented his study on the influence of sitting position on tracheotomized, ventilator-disconnected and spontaneously breathing patients in the weaning process.
The 7th Network Meeting of the Joint Academic Partnership Health concluded with a reception, which offered doctoral candidates, researchers and interested parties the opportunity to exchange ideas about research projects, continue impulses from the discussions and expand their own network.
Contact person
Dr. Martin Schmieder
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Elmar Buchner
