The Ethics Committee is appointed by the Academic Council upon nomination of the Principal to provide advice and guidance to the academic community at the EUI on all matters pertaining to academic / research ethics and to confirm - where needed - to external parties ethical compliance of research projects on behalf of the EUI.
All EUI scholars, including doctoral researchers, are bound by the EUI Code of Ethics in Academic Research as well as all other academic codes and regulations. Consultation and involvement of the EUI Ethics Committee is always voluntary and the Committee is only convened at the explicit request of scholars needing an assessment of the ethical dimensions of a research project. Such requests typically emerge as a condition imposed either by the funder of a research project or by a publisher.
There is no mandatory requisite for doctoral researchers to receive an ethics clearance from the EUI Ethics Committee for the fieldwork related to their thesis.
A data protection review is mandatory, and an ethics review is recommended, for research projects that involve EUI members, prospective members, and non-admitted candidates as subjects of the research.
A second role of the Ethics Committee is to be involved in procedures of investigation of research misconduct set by the Code of Ethics in academic research.
- to provide advice and guidance to the EUI academic community on all matters pertaining to academic research ethics;
- to advise the Academic Council on compliance with the ‘Code of Ethics in Academic Research’ of the various academic activities at the EUI;
- to provide guidance and academic support to scholars on ethical issues in respect of teaching, research and other academic activities On an entirely voluntary basis, researchers may ask the Ethics Committee for consultation on ethical aspects of their research;
- to confirm to external parties on behalf of the EUI compliance with ethical standards in respect of research projects undertaken by scholars at the EUI. The Committee is only convened at the explicit request of scholars needing an assessment of the ethical dimensions of a research project;
- to advise the Executive Committee and the Academic Council of any policies that may be required in relation to accepting funds from particular sponsors of research;
- to act as an investigative/consultative body for any disputed matter concerning research ethics and conduct to make recommendations to the internal EUI Disciplinary Committee on what action, if any, should be taken as a result of the investigations.
The Ethics Committee is appointed by the Academic Council upon nomination by the Principal.
The Committee shall be composed of twelve voting members:
- The Dean of Research
- Seven faculty members (at least one from each EUI Department, RSC, and STG)
- Two Researchers (nominated by the PhD Researchers’ Reps for a two year term)
- One Academic Assistant or Research Fellow (nominated by the Reps of the Academic Assistants/Research fellows for a two-year term)
- One Post-Doc (from a one or more year post-doc fellowship programme, such as Max Weber or others)
- The Legal advisor and the Data Protection Officer as advisor(s) to the Committee with voice but no vote
- A representative from the library as advisor to the Committee with voice but no vote
The members’ mandate is for two years – renewable once.
In case of conflict of interests, members of the Ethics Committee shall be temporarily replaced by substitutes nominated by the Principal.
The Chair is approved by consensus among members and has a casting vote. The mandate of the Chair is up to two years, renewable once.
Chair:
Herman van de Werfhorst - Faculty - SPS Department (September 2024 - August 2026)
Members:
Giacomo Calzolari - Dean of Research
Fabrizia Mealli - Faculty - ECO Department (November 2023 - October 2025)
Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol - Faculty - HEC Department (January 2024 - December 2025)
Sarah Nouwen - Faculty - LAW Department (March 2023 - February 2025)
Caitlin Procter - Part-time Professor - RSC (March 2024 - February 2026)
Sascha Riaz - Assistant Professor - SPS Department (October 2024 - September 2026)
Natasja Rupesinghe – Max Weber Fellow – SPS Department (October 2024-August 2025)
Diane Stone - Faculty - STG (September 2022 - August 2024)
Maarten Vink - Faculty - RSCAS (April 2024 - April 2026)
PhD Researchers’ Reps
Gabriel Brüster - ECO Rep - nominated by the PhD Researchers' Reps (October 2024 - September 2026)
Francesca Lupia - SPS Rep - nominated by the PhD Researchers' Reps (March 2024 - February 2026)
Advisors to the Committee:
Christian Maiwald - Legal advisor and the Data Protection Officer as advisor to the Committee
Simone Sacchi - Librarian, as advisor to the Committee
The members’ mandate is for two years – renewable once.