FGV Research Ethics Committee presents at 2024 SRAI Annual Meeting in Chicago

Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Ethics Committee for Research Involving Human Beings (FGV CEPH) took part in the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI), which was held in Chicago. FGV CEPH’s academic advisor, Renan Medeiros de Oliveira, together with Maria Lígia da Cunha Gomes, a lawyer from law firm Décio Freire Advogados, gave a presentation during a panel discussion called Data Protection and Intellectual Property in Research: A Comparison Between Brazil and the U.S., which addressed the intellectual property situation in Brazil and the United States, as well as similarities and differences between the countries.

The other participants in the panel were Glenn Ladwig, associate general counsel for research at Florida State University; and James Casey, academic community leader and senior research and data protection executive at the City University of New York. The session also discussed strategies for the challenges involved in regulating and protecting personal data, their implications for research ethics and the integration of new legal guidelines into contracts with funders and research partners, with the aim of identifying possible ways to encourage partnerships between Brazil and the United States.

The speakers also addressed some of the main impacts of Brazil’s General Data Protection Law on researchers and research administrators, leveraging Brazil’s experience to offer insights relevant to the United States, where a similar bill is currently being discussed.

The session also discussed the adaptations made to the FGV Ethics Committee to improve the guidelines that FGV researchers must follow to guarantee the protection of research participants and their data.

With regard to intellectual property legislation, Maria Lígia Gomes and Glenn Ladwig discussed the different types of protection in each legal system, their scope and registration process disparities.

According to Renan Oliveira, the exchange of experiences between different countries can illustrate new ways forward for data protection. “Just as Brazilian legislation was inspired by Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, the United States can draw on our experience. Changes to the Brazilian legal system and research institutions marked a major shift in perspective in relation to data protection, which is now considered an autonomous fundamental right, alongside privacy, and no longer part of its content,” he said.

According to Maria Lígia Gomes, dialogue on these issues with professionals from other countries is valuable to understand and improve ways of managing intellectual property in present circumstances. “Protecting the intellectual property of products generated by research is essential. Negotiating these rights, especially with international partners and funders, requires a thorough understanding of governing legislation, both in the international context and within each country, in order to reach an agreement that meets everyone’s interests and respects the applicable rules,” she said.

FGV CEPH’s coordinator, Vivianne Ferreira, believes that the speakers’ comparison between the Brazilian and American experiences made clear the large and important challenges inherent in international cooperation. “We need to take account of specific legal contexts and local ethical parameters. For example, in the Brazilian case, we have a new law on research ethics (Law 14,874 of 2024) and National Health Council resolutions to consider. The presentations by Renan Oliveira and Maria Lígia Gomes made it clear, in any case, how FGV is prepared to deal with these challenges through dialogue with foreign research institutions,” she said.

To find out more about the work of FGV CEPH and guidelines on research ethics, click here.