The HHUiS-IRB is an institutional board to assess whether research projects carried out by researchers affiliated with the UiS School of Business and Law comply with ethical guidelines for research in Norway.
1. What is the HHUiS-IRB?
The HHUiS-IRB is an institutional board to assess whether research projects carried out by researchers affiliated with the UiS School of Business and Law comply with ethical guidelines for research in Norway. Each researcher is responsible to ensure that their research is conducted following established ethical norms for research. This responsibility includes identifying and considering ethical dilemmas and exhibiting reflective and articulated judgement of them. HHUiS-IRB provides references confirming that the project was assessed.
The board was officially appointed by the dean of UiS School of Business and Law. As of September 2024, the HHUiS-IRB consists of faculty members Simone Haeckl-Schermer, Marco Lambrecht, and Ragnar Tveterås (Vice dean of Research and Innovation). It is possible that additional members will be invited to join if there is a demand for additional expertise or that members are replaced if they wish to leave the board.
2. Which Guidelines does the HHUiS-IRB follow?
The HHUiS-IRB evaluates projects with respect to the Guidelines for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities1 developed by the National Committee for Research Ethics in the Social Sciences and the Humanities (NESH). These guidelines are based on the Research Ethics Act (§1) and state that all research has to be in accordance with recognized norms of research ethics.
3. What does HHUiS-IRB approval not cover?
HHUiS-IRB is not responsible for evaluating legal obligations such as whether research plans are in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation. We expect that every researcher is informed about the GDPR regulations and complies with them. In particular, it is the researcher’s responsibility to evaluate whether personal data is collected, and if so, to obtain approval from the Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research (Sikt)2. For projects collecting personal data, Sikt approval is a prerequisite for approval from the HHUiS-IRB.
4. Who can apply for ethical approval by HHUiS-IRB?
All researchers affiliated with the UiS School of Business and Law can apply for IRB approval. This offer also includes PhD students. If Master or Bachelor students conduct research as part of their thesis and their supervisor would like to get ethical approval for the project, the supervisor can ask for approval. Application for approval is voluntary but each researcher is responsible for ensuring that their research is in line with established ethical norms for research.
5. How to apply for ethical approval by HHUiS-IRB?
Researchers who wish to obtain ethical approval have to fill out the application form of the HHUiS-IRB and submit it to the HHUiS-IRB on E-mail: hhuis_irb@uis.no.
6. How are decisions made?
At least two of the board members must agree that a project follows the ethical guidelines for approval of the project. If a project is not approved, the researchers can ask for a meeting to discuss which changes are required for approval. Board members cannot approve their own projects. If necessary (for example if two board members are part of the project team), another faculty member of the UiS School of Business and Law will be asked to join the Board as an interim member to approve the project.