Ethics & Data Privacy
Our commitment to the highest ethical standards and comprehensive data protection in all research and clinical activities.
1. Our Ethical Framework
Ethics is the unwavering foundation of every activity at NeuroBehavior Clinic. Our work is strictly governed by international principles like the Declaration of Helsinki, as well as specific national regulations including the Spanish Law on Biomedical Research for our main center in Barcelona and the Swiss Human Research Act (HRA) for our lab in Zurich. All data is handled in compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This document outlines our commitment to ensuring the dignity, rights, safety, and well-being of all research participants and the integrity of our scientific process.
2. Core Ethical Principles
Respect for Persons and Autonomy
We recognize the intrinsic worth of every individual. This principle is embodied in our informed consent process, which is a continuous dialogue, not a one-time signature. We ensure participants fully understand the research, its risks, and its benefits, and have the absolute right to withdraw at any time without consequence.
Beneficence and Non-Maleficence ("Do No Harm")
The welfare of our participants is our highest priority, taking precedence over all scientific goals. We meticulously design studies to maximize potential benefits—both to the individual and to society—while rigorously minimizing any potential physical, psychological, or social risks.
Justice
We are committed to fairness in all aspects of our research. This includes the equitable selection of participants to ensure that the burdens and benefits of research are distributed fairly, and that our findings are relevant to diverse populations. We actively work to avoid any form of discrimination or exclusion.
Scientific Integrity
Our commitment to truth and transparency is absolute. We adhere to the highest standards of research design, data collection, analysis, and reporting. This includes a commitment to open science practices, such as pre-registering studies and sharing data and code where ethically and legally appropriate, to ensure reproducibility and build public trust.
3. Data Governance and Privacy by Design
Privacy by Design
Data privacy is not an afterthought; it is built into the architecture of our research from the very beginning. Before any data is collected, we conduct thorough Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) to identify and mitigate privacy risks.
Data Minimization
We collect only the data that is strictly necessary to answer our research questions. We do not collect superfluous personal information.
Pseudonymization and Anonymization
Whenever possible, direct personal identifiers (like name or contact information) are removed from research data and replaced with a code (pseudonymization). For public data sharing, we take further steps to ensure data is fully anonymized.
Robust Security
All data, especially sensitive clinical and neuroimaging data, is stored on secure, encrypted servers with strict, role-based access controls. We employ state-of-the-art security measures to protect against unauthorized access or breaches. Our commitment to the highest standards of data security is further validated by our certification under Spain's Esquema Nacional de Seguridad (ENS).
4. Governance and Oversight
No research is conducted without independent ethical oversight. Every study protocol is submitted for rigorous review and requires formal approval from a registered Research Ethics Committee (CEIm in Spain) or a Cantonal Ethics Committee (KEK in Switzerland, e.g., KEK Zurich). These external bodies, composed of scientific, medical, and lay members, independently assess each study's ethical soundness, risk-benefit ratio, and the clarity of the informed consent process, ensuring compliance with all national and international regulations.
5. Responsible Dissemination
Our ethical responsibility extends to how we share our findings. We are committed to publishing our results in peer-reviewed scientific journals, regardless of the outcome. We also believe in responsibly communicating our work to the public, ensuring that findings are presented accurately, without exaggeration, and with appropriate context to foster public understanding and combat misinformation.
6. Contact for Ethical Concerns
We are committed to transparency and accountability. If you have any questions or concerns about the ethical conduct of our research or our data privacy practices, we encourage you to contact our Data Protection team directly.
Email: privacy@neurobehaviorclinic.com
All inquiries will be treated with confidentiality and addressed promptly.