UNIMAREC Trains New Departmental Subcommittee on Research Ethics

In order to maintain high standards and ensure quality research for undergraduate students, the University of Malawi Research Ethics Committee (UNIMAREC) organised an orientation training workshop for newly selected academic staff members appointed to the UNIMAREC Departmental Subcommittee. The members were drawn from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Law, Economics and Government, and selected departments from the School of Natural and Applied Sciences. The training for the subcommittee was held at Nalipiri Eco Resort in Mulanje on 5th and 6th February 2026.

The training was officiated by the Director of Research, Innovations and Postgraduate Studies, Dr Maurice Monjerezi, who officially opened the workshop. Also in attendance were the UNIMAREC Administrator, Mrs Mandere; the Chairperson of the UNIMAREC Committee, Dr Victoria Ndolo; and officials from the National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST).

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Dr Monjerezi expressed gratitude to the National Commission for Science and Technology for its unwavering support to UNIMAREC. He mentioned that as academics and researchers, they should recognise the importance of ethics in maintaining the integrity of their work.

He added that the University of Malawi takes pride in being a centre of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and discovery. “In our pursuit of excellence in research, we must adhere to the highest ethical standards. The university ensures we adhere to these standards through UNIMAREC,” he emphasised.

Monjerezi concluded by urging members of staff to actively participate, think boldly, collaborate, and ask questions during the sessions.

UNIMAREC is an institutional research ethics committee of the University with a mandate to safeguard the safety, rights, and wellbeing of human subjects involved in research conducted by UNIMA members, staff, students, and their collaborators and affiliates. UNIMAREC reviews and approves research protocols for ethics and scientific merit from all UNIMA members of staff, students, and their collaborators and affiliates.

One of the participants, Mr Oris Chimphambano from the Philosophy Department, commended UNIMAREC for the training. Throughout the sessions, he learned how best to review a research protocol and became familiar with the UNIMAREC review process. “The training emphasised the importance of assent forms, the need to contextualise research, and the ethical protection of human participants and animals,” he said. “I also learned that UNIMAREC is not primarily meant to reject studies outright, but to review proposals and provide constructive feedback on how they can be improved to better protect research participants and animals.”

The participants also gained an understanding of the role of the NCST as the national regulatory body for research ethics in Malawi. Mr Essau Thunga Chisale, Head of Standards Development and Enforcement at NCST, mentioned that research participants are at the heart of contemporary research, and without such training, researchers and students may conduct research without proper ethical consideration, which may result in psychological, physical, or emotional harm.

“NCST is the policy holder for research ethics in Malawi and serves as the parent body for Research Ethics Committees. This means UNIMAREC operates as a delegated authority from NCST,” Chisale said. “As the parent body, NCST ensures that training is conducted in accordance with the relevant legal frameworks, including the Science and Technology Act.”

In addition, NCST develops and reviews guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Therefore, its participation during the training aimed at providing input and insights into the available guidelines. This also helps identify gaps within existing guidelines and other legal documents, which are expected to evolve over time.