Kesolei said the board will monitor research performed and provide a voice for native Palauans in any research regarding local culture, history, geography, biology and people.
The Research Review Board will review, monitor and provide feedback on all research of a scientific, cultural historic, anthropological or other nature conducted within Palau, upon its citizens or residents and upon the country’s environment.
The board will “foster and encourage legitimate research within Palau that is not likely to violate any criminal or environmental statutes, and to provide feedback and recommendations to researchers for their final research product in order to provide native Palauan and Palauan culture a voice in research conducted upon them.”
The board will be composed of the president of Palau Community College or his designee, the minister of community and cultural affairs or his designee, the minister of natural resources, environment and tourism or his designee, one representative from the Belau National Museum, and one representative from the Palau Association of Libraries.
The Research Review Board will have the following duties: “Adopt rules and procedures for the conduct of meetings and the review of research proposals; develop guidelines for monitoring research; establish a repository for all documents related to all research projects monitored by the board; determine the research needs of Palau and advertise the need for that research; seek grants and outside funding for the purpose of administering this Act; and provide feedback and recommendations to the final product of research projects submitted to the board for their review.”
The measure stated that prospective researchers wishing to perform research must register their presence and purpose of research with the board and pay a registration fee of $100 to the Palau Research Fund.
