Review by accredited MREC
The decentral review lies in the hands of the accredited medical research ethics committee (MREC). The majority of MRECs are linked to an institution, for example, a university medical centre or a hospital. A number are not linked to an institution.
In most cases research which is subject to the WMO must be reviewed by an accredited MREC. The CCMO can only carry out a medical-ethical review for certain types of research.
You can choose which accredited MREC you would like to review your study. Despite each MREC having an assigned geographical region, the majority of them actually review research submitted throughout the whole country. The accredited MRECs charge their own rates. An MREC is entitled to charge an amount for costs related to the review (art. 20 WMO). There is no national agreement on how much this amount can be. Information on this is available in the list of accredited MRECs.
The CCMO is the authority to which administrative appeals can be submitted against a negative decision by an MREC.