Tools for Research

The Andalusian Biomedical Research Ethics Portal (PEIBA)

Based on current legislation, proposals for research studies that involve people, people’s data, personal information, or human biological samples need to be assessed by a research ethics committee (CEI) (Law 14/2007, of July 3 on Biomedical Research).

To request an evaluation of the ethics of your proposed research project, you must access the Andalusian Biomedical Research Ethics Portal (PEIBA). This portal is the sole access point for such research in Andalusia.

The URL of the portal is https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud/portaldeetica To access the portal, you need to have a digital certificate issued by the FNMT.

A link to an informative document regarding the platform and its management can be accessed here. A list of instructional videos is provided below:

Andalusian Committee on Research Ethics with Embryonic Biological Samples of and Other Similar Cells (CAEMBES)

This committee in charge of evaluating research projects in Andalusia that deal with:

Research with human pre-embryos left over from in vitro fertilization techniques for the derivation of cell lines, embryological research, and other research uses except research related to the application of assisted reproduction techniques.
Research with embryonic and reprogrammed human stem cells.
Activation of oocytes by nuclear transfer for use for therapeutic or research purposes.
Any other technique that uses biological samples of human origin, in whole or in part, that can lead to obtaining stem cells.
Research with embryonic cells or tissues obtained by any of the procedures outlined in article 33.2 of the Biomedical Research Law (14/2007).
Any other line of research that includes cellular material of human embryonic origin or similar material.
Research with embryonic or reprogrammed trunk cell lines that come from a non-EU or intra-community country.

Applications for this committee are processed by the management foundations.

Ethical Committee for Animal Experimentation (CEEA)

Since the publication of RD 53/2013, the Andalusian authority that is competent to authorize projects that involve the use of animals is the current Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development. For the evaluation of such research projects, the Ministry has accredited a series of "Authorized Bodies", called "Ethics Committees for Animal Experimentation" (CEEA). These committees are the bodies that are in charge of animal welfare, in accordance with the provisions of article 37 of this royal decree, which establishes the basic rules that are applicable to the protection of animals used in experimentation and other scientific purposes, including teaching.

In Andalusia, there are a number of different organizations that have been authorized as CEEAs to evaluate research projects that experiment with animals. These organisations are listed here:

Electronic Office of the Ministry of Science and Innovation

The forms that must be completed for an ethics evaluation are available at:

The website of the Junta de Andalucía

The Commission for the Guarantee of Donation and Use of Human Cells and Tissue

Research projects that use pluripotent stem cells must do so in accordance with the provisions of current legislation, namely (Law 14/2006, on assisted reproduction techniques,Royal Decree 1301/2006, on human cells and tissues, andLaw 14/2007) Furthermore, such research projects must have authorization from the Carlos III Health Institute. The organisation that is in charge of issuing the necessary authorization is the Commission for the Guarantee of Donation and Use of Human Cells and Tissue. The commission is a permanent consultative body attached to the Carlos III Health Institute. The committee provides advice on research and experimentation with biological samples of a human embryonic nature and other functionally similar samples.

To request such authorization, you can access the Commission for the Guarantee of Donation and Use of Human Cells and Tissue.