Research ethics documentation for journals, funders, and collaborators
Researchers are increasingly asked by journals, funders, and international collaborators to provide documentation of research ethics approval. However, many studies conducted at DTU are not legally required to obtain such approval under Danish law because they fall outside the statutory Danish Research Ethics Committee system.
Before relying on this statement, researchers should ensure that their study does not require statutory research ethics approval under Danish legislation. Certain categories of research, including specific types of health scientific research, clinical trials of medicinal products, and clinical investigations of medical devices, are subject to statutory research ethics requirements. Information about the Danish research ethics framework and applicable requirements for different types of research is available on the DTU Research Ethics webpages.
To support researchers in explaining the Danish research ethics framework to external parties, DTU has prepared a Statement on the Danish Research Ethics Framework.
The statement provides a general overview of the Danish legal and institutional framework governing research ethics in Denmark. It explains the statutory framework for research ethics approval and the broader regulatory context applicable to research conducted at Danish universities, helping external parties understand why many research projects are not legally required to obtain statutory research ethics approval under Danish law.
The statement may be shared with journals, funding organisations, collaborators, and other external parties requesting information about the Danish research ethics framework.