The Politecnico of Torino is committed to uphold the highest ethical standards in research, both to safeguard all individuals involved in research activities and to promote the scientific quality of its outputs. Research findings may serve as a basis for political and technical decision making, both within governmental agencies and in the private sector. Consequently, it is essential that research is conducted with integrity, responsibility, and full respect for established ethical principles.
In order to promote an ethical culture, the University provides its personnel with information and support concerning the ethical dimensions of research and the procedures necessary to ensure compliance with ethical requirements. Researchers are expected to reflect not only on the scientific value of their work but also on its potential impact on the dignity of the individuals involved, as well as its broader social and cultural implications. This expectation is increasingly shared by research funding agencies and scientific publishers, which often require evidence that research activities adhere to ethical values and safeguard fundamental rights.
The Politecnico of Torino has therefore established a Research Ethics Committee with the mandate of promoting and stimulating ethical reflection within scientific inquiry and, upon request from scientific supervisors, expressing opinions on the ethical compliance of research projects.
The Regulations of the Research Ethics Committee define its tasks, composition, and operating procedures. The Committee’s overarching responsibility is to provide assessments, opinions, and verifications across a wide range of research domains.
Assessments reserved by law to other ethics committees - particularly those authorized to evaluate interventional studies such as clinical trials of medicinal products or surgical techniques - fall outside the jurisdiction of this Committee. The Committee operates in accordance with the principles of independence, expertise, and interdisciplinarity, and is composed of five full members and five alternates. For the assessment of specific issues, the Committee may seek the advice of additional experts.
Moreover, the Committee performs a preliminary evaluative function with respect to the contractual dimension of research. Contracts and agreements entered into by the Politecnico must include provisions ensuring research integrity, with particular attention to the potential uses of research outcomes, including possible military applications., If,during the negotiation phase, the parties fail to reach an agreement on the inclusion of clauses regarding the civilian or military use of results - as set out in the contractual template - the matter is submitted to the Research Ethics Committee. The Committee provides an opinion that will contribute to the final decision, which is the prerogative of the Academic Senate.
The Anti-Corruption, Transparency, and Privacy Office, which also provides support to the Ethics Committee and is part of the General Affairs, Institutional Relations, Archives and Libraries Directorate - ARIA, serves as the technical secretariat of the Research Ethics Committee. It provides support/help to researchers on matters concerning the GDPR and the protection of personal data in the research projects submitted to the Committee.
Researchers wishing to submit a request for ethical evaluation, or more generally for an ethical opinion, must complete the documents available at the designated webpage (login with institutional credentials required) and send them via email to: comitatoetico@polito.it.
Only requests received by the technical secretariat at least 20 full days prior to the scheduled meeting will be considered; later submissions will be deferred to subsequent meetings.
The Ethics Committee provides its opinion on the applications received generally within 45 days from the date of receipt of the complete documentation.
For requests already under review and resubmitted for further assessment, the deadline for submission is 10 full days prior to the scheduled meeting.
For research involving the processing of personal data, careful evaluation is indispensable. It is therefore advisable to consult an expert or to contact the University Data Protection Officer, Avv. Nicoletta Roz, at dpo@polito.it; privacy@polito.it, and, for issues related to data security and storage, Ing. Enrico Venuto at ciso@polito.it.
The request for an opinion must be submitted by the Scientific Supervisor of the research or contractual activity, using the appropriate form available online (after login with institutional credentials) and sent, together with the required documentation, to the Committee Secretariat (comitatoetico@polito.it). The request may also be submitted by the Rector or by the Department Director when deemed appropriate.
Only requests received by the technical secretariat at least 20 full days prior to the scheduled meeting will be examined; later requests will be postponed.
The Ethics Committee provides its opinion on the applications received generally within 45 days from the date of receipt of the complete application