Social and Societal Ethics Committee (SMEC)

Researchers are advised to assess the ethical considerations related to their research activities right from the start. If a work package (WP) involves sensitive ethical considerations, approval is mandatory before starting that WP. For assistance in determining which ethical committee applies to a specific research project, researchers can refer to UHasselt’s ethics committee decision tree (currently only available in Dutch).

Within the university, SMEC approval is required for research proposals funded by BOF, FWO, European, and SB funding.

Advisory Role

SMEC serves an advisory role, addressing ethical aspects in research involving human participants (excluding health sciences, medical, or pharmacological procedures). The committee safeguards ethical standards within social and societal research, upholding the rights of all individuals involved in these studies.

Committee members

SMEC comprises a multidisciplinary panel of experts focused on identifying and addressing potential social, societal, and ethical concerns.

• Chair: Prof. Dr. Johan Ackaert
• Secretary: Stephanie Ruysschaert

Procedure

The procedure is detailed below.

1. The researcher intends to conduct research activities that fall within SMEC’s scope (see also the decision tree (currently only available in Dutch)).
2. The researcher emails SMEC to request ethical advice on their research or project proposal, submitting the completed SMEC application form.
3. The SMEC Secretariat updates the researcher on the status of their application and the projected timeline for review.
4. SMEC convenes to assess the application.
5. The SMEC secretariat sends the committee’s recommendation to the researcher.

Please note a processing time of at least four weeks is standard. SMEC members have 10 working days to review and provide feedback on each case.

Required Documentation

UHasselt’s SMEC application form, available in Dutch and English, must be fully completed and emailed to SMEC@uhasselt.be to initiate the review process. The following documentation should also be included, if applicable:

• Document 1: Participant instructions
• Document 2: Methodology
• Document 3: Participant information sheet
• Document 4: Parent/guardian information sheet (*)
• Document 5: Informed consent form
• Document 6: Parent/guardian consent form (*)
• Document 7: Completed GDPR checklist in PDF (available in Dutch or English)
• Document 8: Information for contacting participants
• Document 9: Any existing diaries or questionnaires intended for participants (*)
• Document 10: Contracts between researchers and sponsors (*)
• Document 11: CVs of all supervising researchers

(*) These documents are required only when applicable to the research.

If you are developing a research proposal that involves human participants or personal data, please contact SMEC at SMEC@uhasselt.be.