Social, ethical & reflective work in the Human Brain Project
The HBP is characterised by a profound and broad interdisciplinarity, and it is unique among the large international Brain Initiatives in having included social sciences and humanities in the core research from its very beginning devoting approximately 5% of the budget to this end. The Ethics & Society research in the HBP has likewise been…
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…
Politics of bias in Artificial Intelligence
Bias has become one of the key issues in the debates about Artificial Intelligence (AI). Several well-publicized cases demonstrate problematic impacts of gender and racial biases embedded in sentencing algorithms, facial recognition systems and search engines. In our recent article, we analyse power and politics of framing bias in AI policy (Ulnicane and Aden 2023).…
EHDS: Meeting the Challenges of Responsible Data Governance
Data is a cornerstone for innovation and better health care. Responsible data governance is key to the public’s trust in science and the sustainability of research. The European Health Data Space (EHDS) is the European Commission’s response to the pressing need for a trustworthy health data infrastructure that reaches across member states. Needless to say,…
Developing capability for responsible research and innovation across the Human Brain Project
How can we build and promote scientists’ capability to respond and act in a responsible way? A recent paper from the Human Brain Project looks at how responsible research and innovation practices can be promoted and developed through capacity-building activities and what can be learned from our work over the past decade. The Human Brain…
Including society and ethics in brain science
What is it that makes us human? Our brain is more complex than the brain of other animals. It has made us able to use tools, control fire, build supercomputers and explore the universe. Digital tools allow us to learn more about the brain. What we learn is embedded in, and dependent on growing worlds…
Building capacity for responsible brain research and innovation
In the Human Brain Project, Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) has been a guiding principle for development and deployment of the EBRAINS research infrastructure. Part of our effort includes a set of Ethics & Society capacity building resources and training on RRI. To help scientists, science managers and others to understand how responsible research and…
Implementing responsible research and innovation in the Human Brain Project
Attention to ethical and societal issues have been an important and integral part of the Human Brain Project. From the very beginning in 2013 until today. Over the years, researchers from the social sciences and the humanities have developed governance structures and mechanisms to integrate responsible research and innovation (RRI) practices across the project. But…
The future of Responsible Brain Research
How can we continue to build even more responsible practices of brain research? This was the central question on the Human Brain Project’s (HBP) online conference on February 2nd, 2023. Work on responsible research and innovation (RRI) in the HBP has taken many forms, including Europe-wide citizen engagement, dialogue, engagement and co-creation with stakeholder and…
Equality, diversity and inclusion: tools for project themes and teams
Women are still underrepresented in top positions in academia. Considering sex, gender, ethnicity, culture and other aspects of diversity have relevance for the way knowledge is produced, understood and disseminated. But how can we make that happen? Karin Grasenick. Julia Trattnig & Pilar Romero have developed a toolkit on equality in governance structures, procedures and…