The increase in funding for international research in low and middle-income countries has brought with it a corresponding increase in the number and complexity of the ethical dimensions of collaborative research. This in turn has led to the recognition that both developed and developing countries need a strengthened capacity in research ethics. The Global Forum for Bioethics in Research reports that building this capacity is essential to promoting the ethical conduct of research and to ensure that countries hosting collaborative research are full partners in research. [GFBR report 2001]
The aim of this site is to facilitate the efforts of international research collaborations to conduct a thorough ethical review of research proposals.
Specifically the missions of this website are
- to increase awareness of the ethical dimensions of international collaborative research; the browser will find here reports on ethical issues arising in the context of international collaborative research; and
- to facilitate compliance with ethics guidelines and regulations by serving as a portal to these.
Much here is targeted at those involved in US-developing world research collaborations. Since US regulations require that projects supported in part by US federal funds be in compliance with US or other international ethics regulations, US regulations feature prominently