KTH’s ethical committee

Presentation of KTH’s ethical committee

KTH’s ethical policy received a new wording which was adopted at The University Board 21 October 2008.
The Faculty Board provided a mandate 2 September 2008 that the Dean should appoint an ethics committee at KTH.

Assignments for ethical committee at KTH

The committee will provide support for operations (management, employees and all students or others working at KTH) with regard to ethical questions. Seeing as the committee’s assignment affects all people working at KTH, the committee is directly subordinate to the President.

Members

Chairman: Lars-Åke Brodin
Teachers: Sven Ove Hanson, Tommy Ohlsson, Monica Ek
Representative of the personnel department: Annica Fröberg
Union representative: Eilert Berglind
Student representative: Per-Viktor Bryntesson, THS

Administrative support: Dilek Gür

Operations

The committee is assigned the operational issues, but not issues which fall under the Ethics Act (Act (2003:460) which concerns ethical assessment of research relating to people), which deals with ethical assessments of a particular research project. Such applications are dealt with by the special regional ethical review board (www.epn.se).

Nor is it the committee’s task to adjudicate on individual complaints regarding research misconduct. Complaints regarding research misconduct must be dealt with and investigated in the same way as other disciplinary matters.

The committee will work with the following issues:
• the ethical policy; to keep it alive and up-to-date and provide proposals for changes
• propose and arrange seminars on business ethics
• discuss ethical issues of a generalised nature in connection with KTH’s assignments and provide guidance where needed

Ethical issues can be initiated by the committee or come from operations. The committee decides which issues will be taken up for discussion. The committee meets at least twice every year and reports activities annually to the President. At least one seminar per year with current ethical issues will be arranged. The theme for the annual seminar will be determined by the committee. A memorandum from the meetings and other information will be published regularly on KTH’s website.

Link to Central and Regional Ethical Reiew Boards

Proposals for seminar themes

Publication ethics
Commercialisation and ancillary occupations
Research misconduct
The Ethical Review Act and the work carried out by the boards.

The first seminar was held 26 April 2010, the theme was Publication ethics.

The second seminar was held 24 March 2011. The theme of the seminar was "Ethics in relation to academic teaching duties".