Establishment and Mandate of BatStateU The NEU Ethics Review Committee

As a premier provider of higher and advanced learning, one of the mandates of Batangas State University (BATSTATEU - The NEU) is the conduct of quality research that will lead innovations, transform lives, and help build a sustainable nation. Elevated to National Engineering University status by virtue of Republic Act No. 11694, BATSTATEU - The NEU shall serve as a research university in engineering and other related fields of specialization, and develop high-impact research, startups, spinoffs, and technology transfer.

In fidelity to this mandate, the University concretized initiatives to improve the research system and develop further scholarly practices compliant with national and international standards. On March 3, 2023, the revision of the BATSTATEU Research was approved by the Board of Regents. The research is a comprehensive guide for the University’s research community. It covers all aspects of research, including implementation, innovation, networking, collaboration, sustainable development, and the creation of specialized research centers. Additionally, it reinforces ethical research practices and integrity and provides for the creation of the BATSTATEU - The NEU Ethics Review Committee, which is tasked to ensure an efficient mechanism of a coherent research ethics review process in the University. Further, this affirms the University’s adherence to relevant statutory and regulatory requirements, which were developed to protect the rights, safety, and well-being of human participants and all living organisms, and protect personal information:

a. Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Administrative Order 001 Series of 2007 requires an ethics review of all health research involving human participants;

b. Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Memorandum Order No. 34 Series 2007 in support of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) memorandum requires all academic institutions engaged in human research to establish ethics review boards/committees;

c. Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Administrative Order 001 Series 2008 requires all Ethics Review Committees (ERC) / Institutional Review Committees (IRB) to register with the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB);

d. Republic Act No. 10532 or the Philippine National Health Research System Act of 2013 establishes the PHREB as the national policy-making body on health research ethics and ensures adherence to ethical principles in health research;

e. Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Memorandum Order 15 Series 2019, Article VI, No. 4 on Ethical Standards on the conduct of research involving human participants or animal subjects by faculty and students;

f. National Ethical Guidelines for Research Involving Human Participants 2022;

g. Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB) 2022 Workbook for Developing Standard Operating Procedures;

h. The World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki, which mandates the Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects;

i. The Belmont Report, which states the Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research;

j. Council for International Organization of Health-related Research Involving Humans 2016; and

k. The World Health Organization Tool for Benchmarking Ethics Oversight of Health-Related Research Involving Human Participants.