The challenges of research ethics and integrity in response to crisis: the coronavirus pandemic and beyond

Projects are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

Crises, and in particular health related ones, have become a dramatic reality for the EU and globally since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Scientific knowledge focuses the attention, as it is a key element to address the urgency of the situation in an effective way and improve preparedness for the future. The extremely heavy human, social, cultural and economic consequences associated with the time pressure sets exceptional conditions calling for an adaptation of the way and procedures to work, and decide and prioritise which inevitably raises associated ethical questions. Some research topics have an intrinsically complex ethics dimension, for example research on the imposing of protection measures, health care prioritization, consequences for family life, and gender impacts on health.

In this context, the activity proposed is expected to propose an operational ethics and integrity framework, which preserves the key ethics principles while supporting a rapid and effective response to a crisis and improving overall preparedness.