Ethics in Research
The interest is focused on the consideration of ethical aspects in research, their nature and aims (respect for the dignity of human beings, autonomy of will, data protection – privacy and confidentiality –, animal well-being and environment preservation).
Ethics in research demand that scientific practice be performed according to ethical principles that ensure the advancement of knowledge, understanding and improvement of the human condition and the progress of society. Interest is focused on consideration of the ethical aspects of research, its nature and purposes (respect for human dignity, free-will, protection of data - privacy, confidentiality -, animal welfare and preservation of the environment).
Given the growing importance of ethical implications of scientific endeavour, as well as the diverse legislation in this area, the Ethics Committee plays a fundamental role, contributing to ensuring that research undertaken by the scientific community is carried out in accordance with current regulations, fully respecting bioethical principles, commitments and requirements and conforming to biosafety in general.
Scope of action: Bioethics and biosafety
Bioethics is a branch of ethics that establishes a set of principles, which when applied optimize human behaviour, from different perspectives, in the field of Life Sciences - namely, human actions affecting human, animal and plant life (human interaction with living beings). In the field of biosafety, particular importance is placed on the adoption of measures and the application of standards to preserve the safety of living beings and the environment from certain factors that could alter them, such as genetically modified organisms and hazardous biological agents.
With respect to scientific practices at the CSIC, four areas of action are defined within the framework of bioethics and biosafety:
- Research involving human subjects, human samples and / or data from human populations requiring protection
- Animal research
- Research involving genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
- Research with biological agents that pose a risk to humans, animals, plants and the environment
Ethical evaluation of the CSIC research
- The CSIC Ethics Committee has issued institutional guidelines regarding applications for the ethical evaluation of research at the CSIC.