About us
We have worked to support a broad and comprehensive approach to responsible research and innovation, ethics and societal impacts of brain research in the Human Brain Project since 2013. In the final phase of the project, our work focuses on finding ways to design and embed responsible research practices into EBRAINS, the international research infrastructure that the HBP will leave as its legacy.
Neuroethics & Philosophy
We undertake conceptual and normative reflection on the ethical, social, cultural, and philosophical issues that drive and arise from brain research. This includes critical examination of issues arising from the design and implementation of the Human Brain Project research and from EBRAINS and normative discussion of the long-term consequences and implications of brain research.
Responsibility by Design
We are making sure the Human Brain Project continues to be developed responsibly and in accordance with ethical and legal regulations and principles, including human rights, data protection, ethics standards, and good clinical practice by undertaking research and developing advice. We are monitoring political, security, intelligence, and military uses/misuses of scientific and technological findings as well as responding to current ethical and societal concerns raised from the Human Brain Project.
Public Engagement
We organise and facilitate dialogues with the public on potentially controversial issues and those of immediate relevance to the Human Brain Project. Our vision is to engage the European society in setting the direction for Human Brain Project research and innovation and broaden the debate on the ethical, legal and societal issues arising from the project.
Ethics Coordination
We coordinate the management of ethical issues across the Human Brain Project. This includes the interaction with the European Commission and its ethics reviewers for ethics checks, ethics reviews, or ethics audits, as well as coordinating all work on ethics across all work packages in the project. The task also includes the ethics rapporteur programme, and communications activities to promote responsible research and innovation in the Human Brain Project.
Gender & Diversity
We adress issues related to gender, diversity and equal opportunities across the Human Brain Project. Gender mainstreaming and diversity management are cross cutting issues that are relevant to achieving objectives in all work packages. We are responsible for fostering equal opportunities in the HBP community, for example through activities and measures related to leadership culture and career development. And we contribute to the integration of diversity dimensions in Human Brain Project research.
Data Governance
Data Governance in the Human Brain Project includes multiple groups with responsibility for developing, approving, organising and implementing policies, procedures and standards for the most effective use of the Human Brain Project’s structured and unstructured data.
Dual Use
Current and newly emerging insights and technologies arising from research in brain sciences increase capabilities to access, assess and affect thought, emotion and behaviour. While much of this research and development is directed towards clinical use, it also has applications in other settings, notably in the political, security, intelligence and military. This is often referred to in terms of "Dual Use".
Ethics Rapporteur Programme
Deepening the understanding of potential ethical and social implications of research and other work by the academics, scientist and engineers across the Human Brain Project. Find out who is your contact!
Foresight
By taking forward looks, and undertaking so called 'Foresight' activities, we are anticipating change and studying future possibilities. The scenarios we have developed serve as frameworks and stimuli for evaliating possible consequences of the Human Brain Project on society. By engaging stakeholders, we have developed a series of best practice recommendations for researchers and Human Brain Project managers.
RRI Glossary
Expertise from across the scientific spectrum is involved in the Human Brain Project. Having a shared language is important for efficient communication. We have developed a Glossary where we explain a collection of commonly used terms in Ethics, Data Governance and Data Protection compiled by an interdisciplinary group of scientists and researchers within the Human Brain Project to help internal and external scientists interpret the documents we provide on the HBP and EBRAINS websites with greater ease.
Register an Ethical Concern
Anyone can requests to address ethical, regulatory and social issues in Human Brain Project research. The POint of REgistration (PORE) is HBP’s mechanism to register and identify these issues and keep track of how they are dealt with.
