Only research projects
that have been approved by a competent Medical Ethics Committee can obtain
access to body material or pseudonymised data for scientific research. The
research protocols are then reviewed by a scientific committee that assesses
whether the study design falls within the scope of the consent given by you for
the intended scientific research.
These research projects are led by researchers affiliated with an academic centre, a healthcare institution, a non-profit organisation, a public institution or a private/commercial company. On the Informed Consent Form, you can specify whether or not you allow such access to your body material/data. Your body material/data may also be used outside Belgium in the context of projects to be approved. You can also indicate your preference in this regard on the Informed Consent Form.
Researchers who obtain body material/data must sign contracts strictly describing their access and use of this body material/data. Researchers are not permitted to further distribute, transfer or use body material/data for purposes other than those described in the research project. Researchers must also agree not to attempt to re-identify participants and to report any such attempts.