Ethical Considerations

COMBAT has received all relevant ethics approvals from the involved member states. COMBAT follows internationally recognized ethical standards for health research, including the Declaration of Helsinki, the CIOMS International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans, and the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. These frameworks help ensure that research is conducted responsibly, fairly, and with respect for participants and communities, which we do through:

Respecting participants and communities

People who take part in research make an invaluable contribution to scientific progress. Participation in COMBAT is voluntary, and participants receive clear information about the study before deciding whether to take part.

We are committed to treating all participants with respect, protecting their dignity, and ensuring that their interests remain at the centre of the research process. We also work closely with researchers, healthcare professionals, and communities in partner countries affected by dengue to ensure that the project addresses real health needs and priorities.

Partners from India and Guatemala play an active role in shaping, conducting, and communicating the research, helping to ensure that the benefits of the project are shared as fairly and effectively as possible.

Responsible international data sharing and use

Severe dengue is a global health challenge that requires international collaboration. As an international consortium, COMBAT brings together researchers from Europe, India, Guatemala, and other partner institutions.

This project involves the collection of health information and biological samples that are important for understanding dengue and improving public health responses. In some cases, research data must be securely shared between institutions and countries to enable scientific collaboration. The project follows applicable data protection laws.  Any transfer of personal data is carried out in accordance with applicable laws and ethical requirements, including the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and relevant legal frameworks in the countries where data are collected.

Participants are informed about how their data will be used, stored, and shared, and safeguards are in place to protect confidentiality throughout the process. Personal information remains confidential and is used only for legitimate research purposes.

Fair benefit-sharing

COMBAT is guided by the principle that the benefits of research should be shared fairly, particularly with the communities and countries that contribute to and participate in research.

The project aims to contribute to:

• Improved understanding of dengue and its health impacts;
• New knowledge that can support better preparedness and response strategies;
• Scientific capacity-building and international collaboration;
• Open sharing of research findings through publications, reports, and public engagement;
• The development of affordable and scalable approaches that could benefit dengue-affected regions.

By working collaboratively across countries and disciplines, COMBAT seeks to ensure that the knowledge and innovations generated through the project can contribute to improved health outcomes locally and globally.

Beyond the project itself, we will examine how ethics support operates within international and interdisciplinary projects, to ensure that ethics support is tailored to the needs of participants and researchers.