Equality in science: a call to reform working conditions for researchers
In their statement on improving the working conditions for early-stage researchers in science, the Human Brain Project’s Diversity & Equal Opportunities Committee highlight the significance of the Human Brain Project and other European science collaborations stressing the importance of equal opportunities, equity, diversity, and inclusion for scientific innovation and excellence is central. It is key…
An overview of the ethical issues across the Human Brain Project
We prepared an overview of the ethical issues across the Human Brain Project, compiled in the context of the Ethics Rapporteur Programme and in our Ethics Trilateral Meetings. In the overview, we summarise some of the ethical issues and challenges identified by Ethics Rapporteurs across the Human Brain Project during the last phase of the…
Inconsistencies in the treatment of disorders of consciousness: 200+ professionals surveyed
Research on patients who have impaired consciousness, especially those who acquired severe brain injury or who have suffered from prolonged disorders of consciousness, has exploded in the last decade, not least within the Human Brain Project. With two international guidelines (one from Europe and one from the United States) available to facilitate care for these…
A neuroscience perspective on ethics dumping & animal data governance
Animal welfare regulation varies across the globe. While non-human primates (NHPs) are crucial in neuroscience research, their use is increasingly restricted in many countries. A recent paper in Frontiers in Neuroinformatics explores how to put an end to “ethics dumping” – where researchers move experiments to locations to circumvent animal welfare regulation – and argues…
Raising awareness about research integrity in big projects
According to the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, ‘good research practices are based on fundamental principles of research integrity”. But how can we meet the practical, ethical and intellectual challenges inherent in research with integrity, how do we manage research integrity issues in big research programmes and identify research integrity mechanisms in interdisciplinary…
Curating the legacy of responsible research and innovation in the Human Brain Project
Over the last decade, the Human Brain Project Building has used structured and strategic approaches to embed responsible research and innovation (RRI) practices across the project. The efforts to curate the legacy of this work includes the development an online RRI toolkit. A recent paper explores whether this kind of toolkit can help embed the…
Transparency, accountability and the management of interests in scientific research projects
Managing conflicts of interest is particularly important for a large publicly funded research project such as the Human Brain Project. It should not be reduced to a simplistic and narrow compliance requirement; instead, it should be considered through a wider lens as an exercise that encourages reflection on how an individual’s different activities and commitments…
A capacity-building programme for responsible brain research and innovation
Is responsible neuroscience research or innovation something you would like to get better at? Would you like to join other like-minded researchers, scientists and tech innovators to reflect on societal concerns of big neuroscience infrastructure like EBRAINS? Then, the capacity building programme on responsible innovation run by the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) team at…
Responsibility key to implementing guidelines for treating disorders of consciousness
A disorder of consciousness is a state where consciousness has been affected by devastating damage to the brain. The diagnosis and health care of patients suffering from these disorders raise several clinical as well as ethical issues. And researchers are still looking for ways to solve them. Recent guidelines, European and American, offer important recommendations…
Webinar 18 May 2022: Diversity in Brain Research: Does it matter?
To which extent are brain functions affected by sex hormones? Are sex differences at the level of stem cells relevant? Is it possible to differentiate biological sex from other factors that can influence the brain, like culture or life experiences? Can it be ethically justified to only study homogenous groups when diagnosing and treating diseases,…