May 11, 2018, Assist. Prof. Dr. Phanit Koomhin, director of the Research Institute for Health Sciences and agent of Walailak University’s Human Research Ethics Committee participated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between partner institutions and Thailand’s National Research Council on Human Research Ethics consideration of a combined institute. The ceremony was presided over by ACM Prajin Jantong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice.

A total of 40 partner institutions are: 

1) Public and private hospitals such as Police General Hospital, Bangkok Hospital, and Bumrungrad Hospital 

2) Public health-related government agencies, such as the Ministry of Public Health, the Department of Medical Services, and the Department of Disease Control 

3) Public and private universities such as NIDA, Chulalongkorn University, Thammasat University, Mahidol University, Rangsit, etc.

The essence of the collaboration is that if any partner institution wishes to establish a committee to consider human research ethics, NRCT will provide advice on it and can visit other partner institutions where the committee has already been established. Furthermore, professors/researchers from partner institutions can submit human research ethics projects for review by the Central Research Ethics Committees (CREC)(There is a fee, which varies between publicly funded and privately funded research projects.).