Research Ethics

The Research Ethics Committee of the Research Council of Lithuania (hereinafter – the Committee) is a permanent committee of the Research Council of Lithuania (hereinafter – RCL). The procedures of the Committee are regulated by its Rules of Procedure[1], and it performs the following functions:

1. examines legislative initiatives, draft legal acts, and other documents related to scientific research ethics and provides relevant comments and proposals to the RCL Chairman;

2. prepares proposals for the RCL Chairman regarding provisions of RCL legal acts and other documents aimed at ensuring compliance with the principles of research ethics in the activities of the RCL;

3. advises the RCL Chairman on matters related to research ethics;

4. reviews notifications concerning potential violations of the general principles of compliance with research ethics outlined in paragraph 22 of the Guidelines for the Evaluation of Compliance with Research Ethics[2], particularly regarding:

4.1. applications and/or reports for RCL competitive funding projects;

4.2. materials related to the annual and/or comparative evaluation of research and higher education institutions;

4.3. other activities of the RCL;

5. considers other issues related to research ethics and provides recommendations to the RCL Chairman.

The Committee is composed of nine members of impeccable reputation, selected in accordance with the conflict-of-interest avoidance scheme provided in Annex 2 of the Description of Avoidance of Potential Conflicts of Interest in the Research Council of Lithuania[3]. Individuals subject to the restrictions set out in Chapter VI of the General Rules of the Research Council of Lithuania for the Competitive Funding of Research and Dissemination Projects[4] — such as those who have committed academic ethics violations or those responsible for a terminated or unimplemented project — cannot be appointed as members of the Committee or serve in this capacity.

The composition of the Committee is approved by the RCL Chairman, who also appoints the Committee Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson. Three members of the Committee are nominated by the Expert Committee of Natural and Technical Sciences (hereinafter – NTS Committee), one of whom must be a member of the NTS Committee exempt from the established requirements; three members are nominated by the Expert Committee of Humanities and Social Sciences (hereinafter – HSS Committee), one of whom must be a member of the HSS Committee exempt from the established requirements; and three members are nominated by the Expert Committee of Science and Higher Education Policy (hereinafter – SHEP Committee), one of whom must be a member of the SHEP Committee exempt from the established requirements. The term of office for a Committee member is three years, and a member may serve no more than two consecutive terms.

Members of the Committee:

1. Dr. Loreta Tauginienė – Kaunas University of Technology, associate professor at the Academic Center for Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts (Chairperson);

2. Dr. Dainius Haroldas Pauža – Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, professor at the Institute of Anatomy (Deputy Chairperson);

3. Dr. Diana Ramašauskaitė – Vilnius University, professor at the Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology;

4. Dr. Eglė Vaidelytė – Kaunas University of Technology, professor at the Academic Center for Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts;

5. Dr. Giedrius Viliūnas – Chancellery of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, advisor at the Office of the Future Committee;

6. Dr. Gintautas Sakalauskas – Vilnius University, associate professor at the Department of Criminal Justice;

7. Dr. Petras Rimantas Venskutonis – Kaunas University of Technology, professor at the Department of Food Science and Technology;

8. Dr. Povilas Aleksandravičius – Mykolas Romeris University, professor at the Institute of Humanities; European Humanities University, professor at the Academic Department of Humanities and Arts;

9. Dr. Viktorija Čepukienė – Vytautas Magnus University, associate professor at the Department of Psychology[5].