Introduction:

In the past few years, scientific research has witnessed remarkable progress in a number of fields at Vision Medical College in Jeddah, and as a result of many of these researches addressing topics related to living organisms, the need to establish and activate a permanent committee for the ethics of scientific research in the college has increased. Under the Supreme Court’s decision, all entities conducting research on living organisms in Saudi Arabia are required to comply with regulations issued by the National Bioethics Committee (NCBE). Therefore, the Standing Committee for Scientific Research Ethics was established at the Vision Medical College Jeddah under the umbrella of His Excellency the Dean of the College with the aim of reviewing the ethics of scientific research, by specialists in this field for the importance of maintaining research ethics in line with Islamic law, which preserves the rights of the living organisms from violationsand monitors the ethical aspect of research. And also in the event that these researches are submitted for publication, as international organizations and research bodies require this as the main basis for accrediting research related to living creatures and publishing its results.

The VMC Research Ethics Committee is registered with NCBE as a local ethics committee (registration # H-02-J-126). The Committee is responsible for the evaluation of research from ethical standpoint and protecting the participants in the research. Also, if research is submitted for publication, international organizations and research bodies require ethical approval as a requirement for publishing its results.

Objectives of the Committee:

1. Applying ethical standards and controls for biological and medical research.
2. Periodic evaluation and oversight of submitted research and application of biological and medical research ethics standards and controls.
3. Coordinating with the Scientific Research Committee regarding following up on the issue of commitment to bioethics and medical ethics.
4. Spreading awareness of biomedical and medical research ethics for those working in the research field and encouraging related activities, including seminars, panel discussions, and lectures.

Tasks of the committee:

1. Ensure that the research is consistent with the ethics system for research on living creatures.
2. Monitoring the application of the general principles and controls necessary to deal with living creatures, parts of them, or their genetic material in the fields of research in light of the system of ethics for research on living creatures.
3. Protecting the rights of the human being in question and ensuring his safety.
4. Ensuring the validity of INFORMED CONSENT procedures.
5. Ensure that minors, incompetent persons, or persons with disabilities are not exploited in scientific research in any way.
6. Issuing approval to conduct the research from an ethical standpoint.​

Committee Members:

Name	Position
Dr. Iffat Mirza Ahmed	Head of the Committee
Dr. Yagoub Alyami	Vice Head of the Committee
Dr. Abdelhamid Gaber	Member
Dr. Obay Almarairah	Member
Dr. Nawal Helmi	External Member

To apply for Research Ethical approval:

Please click on this link

In Case of any inquiries: [email protected]

For Steps of Research Ethical Approval see below