The role of institutional ethics committees in Austria: Report of the Commission on Ethics and Scientific Integrity of the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences 2018–2023

Research involving human subjects or identifiable human material and data must be assessed by an ethics committee. The Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences has established a Commission on Ethics and Scientific Integrity to evaluate medical research conducted by its faculty and students and at its affiliated hospitals. All projects submitted to the Commission on Ethics and Scientific Integrity between 2018 and 2023 were analyzed regarding their major characteristics, the duration of the evaluation process, and votes issued. A total of 520 applications were electronically submitted during the observation period. Most of the studies were retrospective data analyses in the field of oncology, psychology and surgery. Most studies included less than 100 volunteers. Of the applications 50% received a final vote within 5 months, during which several revision rounds took place. Overall, about 77% of votes issued during the observation period were positive and 2% were rejections. In 11% files were closed due to withdrawal. In 11% final votes were pending at the end of the observation period due to requests for revisions. Our results emphasize the importance of institutional ethics committees using the example of the Commission on Ethics and Scientific Integrity at the Karl Landsteiner University. Such committees fill a gap in evaluating research not covered by Austrian legal regulations. Continuous development of standards, operating procedures, and national and international collaborations are required to assess and minimize risks to trial subjects and to provide a safe and productive environment for research in human medicine and related fields.