More than compliance checks and harm prevention? The work of ethics committees in the social and behavioral sciences in a changing research landscape
About the Symposium
This symposium addresses current challenges and changing tasks for ethics committees in the social and behavioral sciences. The event focuses on the roles, responsibilities, and limits of ethical review boards across different disciplines.
The symposium consists of two parts:
1. Keynote by Daniel Lakens (Professor in the Human-Technology interaction group at Eindhoven University of Technology) on the question "Should Ethical Review Boards Evaluate if Research is Worth Doing?", followed by a Q&A session.
2. Roundtable Discussion on the changing tasks and current challenges for ethics committees in the social and behavioral sciences featuring Daniel Lakens, Hella von Unger (Professor for Qualitative Social Research and Chair of the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Social Sciences at LMU Munich, and speaker of the Network of Research Ethics Committees in the Social Sciences), and Christian Merz (Professor of Cognitive Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, and member of the Ethics Committee of the German Psychological Association), moderated by Johannes Breuer (Center for Advanced Internet Studies).
Event Details:
• Date: November 25th, 2026
• Time: 13:00 – 15:30
• Format: Hybrid (In-person and Online via Webex)
• Location: Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), Bochum
Schedule:
• 13:00 – 14:00: Keynote & Q&A
• 14:00 – 14:30: Coffee Break
• 14:30 – 15:30: Roundtable Discussion
Note: Please select your preferred attendance format (in-person or online) during registration.
