Committee for Responsibility in Science

Research and science are caught between the conflicting priorities of academic freedom and academic responsibility. In order to strengthen the responsibility of science for its research and its research results and to raise awareness of this, the Commission for Responsibility in Science (KVW) was established at the TUD Dresden University of Technology.

The KVW provides researchers with support by advising and assessing ethical and legal aspects of safety-relevant issues when significant risks to human dignity, life, health, freedom, property, the environment or peaceful coexistence could be associated with a research project.

However, the assessment and safeguarding of the scientific integrity of research projects on and with humans and of research projects involving animal experiments are not part of the KVW's remit.

Review: Security-related risks and/or conflicts of interest

The KVW serves as a body for the ethical assessment of research projects. Researchers have the opportunity to have the ethical aspects of their projects reviewed and assessed by the KVW and receive appropriate advice from the committee. Applications and requests can be submitted to the Vice-Rectorate Research and Technology Transfer.
The following diagram shows how applications relating to safety-related risks or potential conflicts of values are reviewed.

© TUD

Explanations to the graphic:

Application/request

• Applicants submit their application to the Vice-Rectorate Research and Technology Transfer .
• They check whether all the documents are complete and whether they are responsible. If anything is missing, the documents will be requested.

• The chairperson of the KVW now initiates the preliminary review or examination.

Preliminary examination/examination

• A preliminary review is carried out by the chairperson and a member of the KVW on the basis of

  • Information in the notification of third-party funding,

  • substantiated information from third parties,

  • anonymous information.

• A report on the preliminary checks carried out is then submitted to the KVW.

• In these cases, the committee is convened:

  • Examination of complex issues or applications/requests from members responsible for projects or members of the TUD,
  • requests from the Senate or the University Executive Board,
  • the KVW's own initiative.

Decision

• The KVW discusses the application, makes recommendations, offers support and raises awareness of security-related risks and/or potential conflicts of values.
• Finally, it makes a decision on the application for the research or cooperation project. This decision is recorded and communicated to the applicants together with the comments and recommendations without delay.

The entire process should be completed within six weeks.

Chair of the commission

Prof. Dr. Angela Rösen-Wolff
Vice-Rector Research and Technology Transfer

Members of the commission

Advisory members

Regulations

The University Executive Board, in agreement with the Senate of TU Dresden, issued the KVW regulations on August 21, 2023.