Researches just need to be submitted to a IEC only if they use human or animal subjects. In Brazil or any place. If you have a mathematical equation to prove analitically or by simulation, you don´t need to worry about IEC. This is the way since the end of world war II, especially because the nazi experiments.

Here in Singapore, we have Institutional Review Board (IRB). Any studies involving animal studies, human samples and subjects must be approved before running the projects. This approval is also needed for grant proposal submission.

Ethical comittee Approval is needed to go ahead with research.