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Research Ethics Committee

The Research Ethics Committee of the National Bank of Slovakia supports responsible, transparent, and ethically sound research conducted within NBS or under its professional auspices.

The Committee provides independent, expert, and timely ethical review of proposed and ongoing research projects in the social sciences, in particular economics, finance, and related disciplines, that involve human participants. Its purpose is to help protect the dignity, rights, integrity, and safety of actual or potential research participants.

The Committee operates in accordance with its Bylaws and Rules of Procedure.

Bylaws

133.96 kB
When to contact the Committee

Researchers are encouraged to contact the Committee when a project involves human participants or individual-level information, in particular:

  • surveys, interviews, focus groups, experiments, or information treatments;
  • sensitive personal, financial, or socio-economic information;
  • vulnerable populations, such as minors, pregnant women, or individuals with limited decision-making capacity;
  • identifiable or potentially identifiable data;
  • cooperation with external partners where an ethics statement is required;
  • uncertainty about informed consent, anonymisation, confidentiality, or data protection.

For standard research using fully anonymised publicly available data, Committee review is usually not required. Researchers may nevertheless consult the Committee if there is any uncertainty.

Ethical principles

Research reviewed by the Committee should be based on the principle that the expected scientific or societal benefits of the project outweigh potential risks to participants.

Risks should be appropriately identified and minimised, especially in projects involving vulnerable populations, identifiable data, or more than minimal risk to participants.

How to apply

Researchers requesting formal ethics review should complete the appropriate application form and send it, together with relevant supporting documents, to: rec@nbs.sk

If the planned research involves no risk or only minimal risk, does not involve vulnerable populations, and uses exclusively anonymous data, applicants should use the abbreviated application form:

Form for the Review of Research Proposals with Low or No Risk to Participants

25.8 kB

For projects involving moderate to high risk, vulnerable populations, or identifiable or potentially identifiable data, applicants should use the full application form or consult the Chair of the Committee before submission:

Form for the Review of Research Proposals Involving Medium or High Risk to Participants

33.38 kB

Applications should normally include the completed form and, where relevant, the questionnaire, interview guide, experimental script, participant information sheet, informed consent text, and a brief description of data handling and anonymisation.

Review process

Receipt of the application will be confirmed by email. Applications are generally reviewed within three weeks of submission, depending on the complexity of the project and the completeness of the documentation.

Following the review, the Committee may approve the project, approve it with recommendations, request revision and resubmission, or issue a non-approval with written justification.

In the event of approval, the Committee will issue an electronic confirmation, typically in English, stating that the project complies with ethical standards for social science research involving human participants.

Committee Members

Chair:
Jochen Mankart (NBS)

Members (internal and external):
Zuzana Brokešová (EUBA)
Juraj Falath (NBS)
Jan Klacso (NBS)
Martin Nevický – (NBS)
Roman Vasiľ – (NBS)