Potsdam medical ethicist Robert Ranisch appointed to specialised ethics committee

The task of the expert committee set up at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) is the ethical evaluation of complex clinical trials. The commission will begin its work on 1 July 2025.

The Specialised Ethics Committee for Special Procedures is a central element of the Medical Research Act to strengthen drug research and development in Germany. It examines ethical aspects of certain clinical trials with medicinal products, in particular highly innovative or ethically challenging procedures. These include first-in-man studies, trials of medicinal products for advanced therapies and clinical trials with highly complex study designs. The Commission's task is to ensure the protection of trial participants and at the same time fund scientific progress. It helps to speed up and improve the quality of trial assessments. In doing so, the committee ensures that high ethical and scientific standards are maintained and that these trials can be processed efficiently. The committee works closely with other ethics committees and scientific institutions. The aim of this new structure is to further strengthen Germany as a centre for medical innovation and to provide patients with faster access to innovative therapeutic approaches.

About the scientist

Prof. Dr Robert Ranisch studied philosophy in Warwick, Jena and Oxford and completed his doctorate in the field of biomedical ethics in Düsseldorf and Tübingen. Since 2021, he has held a tenure-track professorship in medical ethics at the University of Potsdam with a focus on digitalisation. He conducts research at the Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, which was founded in 2018 as a joint faculty of the University of Potsdam, the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane and the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg.

The Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg was founded in 2018 as a joint faculty of the University of Potsdam, the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane and the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg in order to develop new medical, nursing and medical technology care services as well as innovative study programmes. In cooperation with other universities and research institutions, the faculty contributes to the improvement of medical care in Brandenburg.

Contact:
Prof. Dr Robert Ranisch
University of Potsdam
Medical ethics with a focus on digitalisation
T: +49 (0) 0331 977 213841
E: ranisch(at)uni-potsdam.de

Press contact
Antje Horn-Conrad
University of Potsdam
Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg
Press and Public Relations Department
T: +49 (0) 331 977-1474
E: presse(at)uni-potsdam.de