Sogang University's Bioethics Committee earns government accreditation

Sogang University’s Bioethics Committee has received accreditation from the Ministry of Health and Welfare after passing an evaluation under the ministry’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) evaluation and accreditation program, the university said.

The evaluation and accreditation system, established under the Bioethics and Safety Act, comprehensively assesses IRB operations and the level of protection provided to research participants at institutions that conduct research involving human participants and human-derived materials.

The evaluation examines an institution’s overall capacity to manage bioethics, including the independence and expertise of its IRB, the adequacy of review procedures, the composition and training of IRB members, systems for protecting research participants, and the management of relevant regulations and records.

Sogang University noted that the accreditation reflects its continued efforts to establish a robust framework for IRB operations to protect the dignity, rights, safety and welfare of research participants throughout the research process and to ensure that research is conducted ethically and systematically.

The university’s IRB reviews research involving human participants and human-derived materials and provides principal investigators and research staff with training on bioethics and the protection of research participants.

The IRB has also worked to strengthen compliance with research and bioethics standards by updating relevant regulations and standard operating procedures and systematizing procedures for review, decision-making and record management.

“This accreditation reflects our commitment to making research participant protection and compliance with bioethics principles core values in our research,” said Sim Jong-hyeok, president of the university.

He added, “We will continue to support researchers in conducting responsible research, drawing on the expertise and independence of the IRB, and work to create a trusted research environment.”

“The evaluation and accreditation are significant because they formally recognize the committee’s operating framework and the efforts of its members,” said Kang Sun-kyung, chair of the university’s Institutional Review Board. “We will continue to strengthen communication with researchers and strive to ensure that reviews are conducted more promptly and with greater reliability.”

The university said it plans to respond proactively to changes in the research environment and bioethics regulations while strengthening its IRB operations and enhancing researcher training and systems for protecting research participants.