Trust addresses harmful misuse of research
22 December 2004
In light of global events, there have been heightened concerns regarding the risks that biomedical research could be misused for terrorist or other harmful purposes. In November 2003, the Trust published a
position statement on bioterrorism and biomedical research, which sets out our current thinking on these issues.
Following the publication of this statement, the Trust has engaged actively in policy discussions on these concerns and worked in partnership with other stakeholders.
The Trust participated in a session of the 2004 BA Festival of Science on codes of conduct for biological weapons: the
PowerPoint presentation [PPT] is available for download.
In October 2004, the Trust and the Royal Society held a joint workshop entitled “Do No Harm – reducing the potential for the misuse of life science research” at which practising life scientists from academia and industry and representatives of Government agencies, funding bodies and other relevant organisations met to discuss these concerns. A
summary report [PDF] of this workshop is also available for download.
The Trust, in common with other funding agencies, already has rigorous processes in place to ensure that the research we fund is of highest scientific quality and that any ethical issues associated with applications are addressed. We are examining ways in which we could strengthen these processes in light of concerns over research misuse. We are working in partnership with the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) with the goal of developing a common policy approach on these issues.
See also
- Science self-regulation to deter terrorism (Press release)