Research is an essential function of the University of the Basque Country, so one of its main objectives is the development of scientific, technical, humanistic and artistic research. The University is committed to guaranteeing freedom of research with no limitations other than those laid down in law and in the regulations and codes of practice approved by the scientific community.

The great scientific and technical progress made over the past hundred years and its social implications have resulted in the deployment of various measures to channel the process of research and its applications, guaranteeing freedom of thought, creation and scientific output while seeking a balance with other values and rights that may be affected. That is why university research committees have been set up in the past few years, to provide independent, impartial supervision of research and teaching, especially in three fields:

• Research involving human beings
• Research involving animals
• Research involving biological agents and genetically modified organisms.

This trend has been reinforced by two circumstances. The first is the demand (included in many calls for research funding in recent years) that research and training projects be validated by an impartial body that can assess compliance with methodological, ethical and legal requirements. The second is that more and more editorial boards of scientific journals are insisting on such validation as a prerequisite for publication of the scientific results of projects.

The impetus for creating such university bodies came from a number of sectoral regulations that made preliminary assessments a prerequisite for certain research activities. These include in particular Royal Decree 53/ 2013 on the protection of animals used in experimentation and Act 14/ 2007 on Biomedical Research.

Ethics Commission for Research and Teaching (CEID/IIEB)

The regulations of the University of the Basque Country set out how research and teaching projects must be assessed, and establish a number of bodies at the disposal of personnel which between them make up the Ethics Commission for Research and Teaching (CEID/IIEB).

The mission of the CEID/IIEB is to guarantee that research projects and teaching activities at universities meet the methodological, ethical and legal requirements laid down for research which involves:

• human intervention,
• use of human biological samples,
• use of personal data,
• use of animals,
• use of biological agents and genetically modified organisms.

It also certifies to the authorities that those requirements are met, via a ruling from an impartial, independent committee.

The CEID/IIEB also promotes training, information and disclosure activities in the areas where it has authority, makes recommendations and sets guidelines for action and, in short, handles all matters likely to facilitate the tasks of researchers, especially in their relationships with public authorities and in compliance with regulations in force.

The CEID/IIEB was founded to serve researchers and teaching staff at the University of the Basque Country. Its technical secretariat and its website provide them with the resources needed to carry out their academic work.