News · 11 August 2026
Building independent research-ethics review at Tyche Institute
Tyche Institute is preparing a small, documented and independent review arrangement for minimal-risk research involving people. The first study considered under the proposed arrangement will be an expert questionnaire on assurance for European Digital Identity Wallet relying-party verifiers.
A small institute should not confuse being small with being exempt from accountability. When one researcher designs a study, recruits participants and controls the data, the final ethical judgement should not rest with that researcher alone.
The proposed review model
Two independent volunteer reviewers, neither involved in the study's design, recruitment, data handling or analysis, will review the protocol separately and may then meet briefly to resolve questions. Their review will cover:
- the scientific purpose, method and proportionality of the study;
- participant burden, foreseeable risks and possible professional harm;
- recruitment, informed consent, withdrawal and freedom from pressure;
- privacy information, data minimisation, access, retention and deletion;
- conflicts of interest, attribution and publication safeguards.
Each reviewer may request revisions, decline to review, or recuse where independence is doubtful. The written outcome will state whether the study is suitable as proposed, suitable after named conditions, or not suitable to proceed. Reviewers will not receive raw participant data and will not assume the researcher's or data controller's responsibilities.
The first study
The proposed expert census invites 26 adults listed on a public ENISA expert-group roster to complete one voluntary 8–10 minute questionnaire. It asks about technical assurance responsibility and independently rerunnable evidence for verifier implementations. It does not seek confidential deliberations, unpublished documents, security vulnerabilities, employer positions or personal information about third parties.
Reporting is aggregate by default. Anonymous or named quotation requires separate permission, and every named quotation receives a pre-publication accuracy check. Recruitment remains closed while the review route, participant information and collection system are finalised.
Relationship with external review
Tyche's internal process will not be represented as statutory ethics-committee approval. The institute intends to submit the first study to the Estonian Research Council Research Ethics Committee through ETIS. Internal review is an additional accountability layer and a way to improve the application before external assessment; it is not a shortcut around applicable law, funder conditions, publication requirements or a competent committee's decision.
An invitation, not an announcement
Tyche is speaking with two prospective independent reviewers. No appointment is claimed here. Participation will be voluntary and will be recorded only after a discussion of the role, an independence and conflict check, the reviewers' consent, and a written board decision. Names will be published only if the reviewers wish to be identified.
The immediate request is deliberately bounded: read a concise study packet, give an independent assessment, join one short conversation if needed, and sign a one-page outcome. Material later amendments return to review.