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Ethical Clearance

The Committee produces official Ethical Clearances with authorization value.

In order to request an Ethical Clearance, it is necessary that the Principal Investigator of the project submits the request by email to the Coordinator of the Committee, Dr. Cinzia Caporale, at the address: cnr.ethics@cnr.it. The request must be sent before the beginning of the project activities.

In the email, which shall serve as a transmission note, please include a telephone number of the Principal Investigator of the project (preferably a mobile phone number) and the following attachments thus numerated: 

  1. the research project (in Italian or in English) for which the Ethical Clearance is requested, in its final version (numbered and dated), specifying whether the request concerns the entire project or only specific work packages carried out by CNR, and which ones;
  2. an abstract in Italian (of 500-1000 words) describing: (i) the objectives, duration and partners of the project; (ii) the detailed procedures for recruiting any participants and their expected number; (iii) the main methodologies used; (iv) any risks and benefits expected from the project, particularly for participants; 
  3. any ethical opinions or authorisations previously obtained from other organisations/committees (for instance OPBA or ethics committees for clinical trials), including Ethics Summary Reports in the case of projects funded by the European Commission;
  4. the information sheet and consent form (both in Italian) if participants are involved. The information sheet must include the contact details of the Principal Investigator (P.I.) and the contact details of any other reference persons. For the purposes of preparing the informed consent, please consult the Committee's document "Informed Consent in Scientific Research: Ethical Toolkit"; the Committee's Scientific Secretariat is willing to revise the draft text;
  5. the information sheet and consent form for parents or legal tutor if the project involves minors, as well as, for participants aged between 14 and 18, an additional information sheet dedicated to them, which should be concise and written in easy-to-understand language;
  6. a dedicated genetic data statement, in addition to the general informed consent, whenever studies of this nature are carried out on participants or biological samples;
  7. the documentation on data processing and data protection.

All project materials submitted to the Committee's Coordinator are considered confidential documentation whose circulation is restricted to the Members of the Committee and the Scientific Secretariat. 

Ethical Clearance requests may be submitted at any time of the year, except during the period 20 December - 10 January and during the month of August. Specific reasons of urgency can be indicated in the request.

The Committee also reserves the right to accept requests for Ethical Clearance from universities and public and private research institutions, for projects whose funding has already been approved. For applicants from outside the CNR, and only for them, a contribution of EUR 1,000.00 (excluding VAT) will be charged for the Committee's operating expenses.

Assistance with the submission of documentation can be provided by the Committee's Scientific Secretariat, upon request by email (cnr.ethics@cnr.it), or by calling the following telephone number: +390649937900 (number with call forwarding and therefore always active). The Secretariat can also be contacted for any support in filling in the "Ethical Issues" section of the project proposals, as required in the application forms of various Italian and European funding calls. 

In exceptional cases, an application can be submitted for an ex-post ethical review of a project, after the project has been completed or at an advanced stage of the project. The ethical review of an ex-post project does not allow for an ethics by design approach, which is aimed at managing and resolving any ethical issues and thus increases the likelihood of project approval. 

Ethical Clearances issued by the Committee

The following is a list (in alphabetical order) of the CNR structures and external organizations (public and private) to which Ethical Clearance opinions have been issued.

CNR structures

  • Activities and Relations with European Institutions Office
  • European and International Relations Office
  • Institute for Applications of Computing "Mauro Picone" (IAC)
  • Institute for Applied Mathematics and Information Technologies (IMATI)
  • Institute for Biological Systems (ISB)
  • Institute for Biomedical Technologies (ITB)
  • Institute for Chemical-Physical Processes (IPCF)
  • Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC) 
  • Institute for Construction Technology (ITC)
  • Institute for Educational Technology (ITD)
  • Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking (ICAR)
  • Institute for International Legal Studies (ISGI)
  • Institute for Mediterranean Agricultural and Forestry Systems (ISAFOM)
  • Institute for Research on Innovation and Development Services (IRISS)
  • Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies (IRPPS)
  • Institute for the Conservation and Valorization of Cultural Heritage (ICVBC)
  • Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems (ISASI)
  • Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research (IIA)
  • Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC)
  • Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC)
  • Institute of Bioeconomy (IBE)
  • Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology (IBFM)
  • Institute of Biometeorology (IBIMET)
  • Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry (ICB)
  • Institute of Biosciences and BioResources (IBBR)
  • Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology (IBCN)
  • Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC)
  • Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technology (ISTC)
  • Institute of Computational Linguistics (ILC)
  • Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Technologies for Energy (ICMATE)
  • Institute of Cultural Heritage Sciences (ISPC)
  • Institute of Electronics, Information Engineering and Telecommunications (IEIIT)
  • Institute of Food Production Sciences (ISPA)
  • Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research (IRGB)
  • Institute of Industrial Technology and Automation (ITIA) 
  • Institute of Informatics and Telematics (IIT)
  • Institute of Information Science and Technologies "A. Faedo" (ISTI)
  • Institute of Intelligent Industrial Technologies and Systems for Advanced Manufacturing (STIIMA)
  • Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMAR)
  • Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology (IBPM)
  • Institute of Molecular Genetics (IGM)
  • Institute of Nanostructured Materials (ISMN)
  • Institute of Nanotechnology (NANOTEC)
  • Institute of Neurological Sciences (ISN)
  • Institute of Neuroscience (IN)
  • Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility (STEMS)
  • Institute of Structure of Matter (ISM)
  • Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT)
  • National Institute of Optics (INO)
  • Research Institute on Judicial Systems (IRSIG)

External organizations (public and private)

  • Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, SZN, Naples
  • Bioversity International
  • Foundation for Research on Migration and Integration of Technologies (FORMIT)
  • HuGeF Foundation (Human Genetic Foundation-Turin)
  • Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)
  • International Affairs Institute - IAI, Rome
  • Lombardy Regional Emergency Service Agency (AREU)
  • Modena Women’s Documentation Centre
  • National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV)
  • National Institute of Health (ISS)
  • National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS), Trieste, Italy 
  • SerenDPT S.r.l. S.B.
  • The National Fire and Rescue Service (CNVVF)
  • HT Human Technopole Foundation, Italy
  • University of Florence
  • University of Gent (Belgium)
  • University of Sassari
  • University of Uppsala, Sweden (ERC Project)

Last update: 09/12/2024