Book/Report FZJ-2025-02029

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png
Guideline on dual use and misuse of research for committees for ethics in security relevant research (KEFs)

 ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;

2025
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Zentralbibliothek, Verlag Jülich

Jülich : Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Zentralbibliothek, Verlag, Berichte des Forschungszentrums Jülich 4449, 33 pp. () [10.34734/FZJ-2025-02029]

This record in other databases:

Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:

Report No.: Jül-4449

Abstract: The following guideline emerged from the project DUMFE: Dual Use and Misuse of Research Results (“Dual use und Missbrauch von Forschungsergebnissen”), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, 01GP2187). In recent years, dual use has become a significant issue in research ethics for numerous reasons, garnering considerable attention not only within the ethical community but also in the broader scientific community and among political and security circles. Among the reasons for this attention are the dissemination of scientific developments with high misuse potential, such as gain-of-function experiments (Imai et al. 2012; Herfst et al. 2012; Imperiale and Casadevall 2018); political factors, including recent shifts in the global security landscape (Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina (Leopoldina) and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) 2024, 9ff.); and heightened awareness of historical misuses of science (De Block and Adriaens, 2013). There is detailed advice on the handling of dual use research of concern provided by the Joint Committee (“Joint Committee on the Handling of Security-Relevant Research”) of the German National Academy of Science Leopoldina and the German Research Foundation (DFG) (2022). The Joint Committee also provides networking and exchange opportunities for Committees for Ethics in Security-Relevant Research (Kommissionen für Ethik sicherheitsrelevanter Forschung), so-called KEFs. Nevertheless, additional information and guidance on handling dual use research of concern is a regular request in particular from scientists, but also a request often heard in forums with policy experts, managers and administrators of institutions in research and education. The present guideline provides such additional in-depth information on the definition, examples, legal as well as ethical issues and options for governance of dual use research. It has been written by ethicists and philosophers of technology, supported by lawyers and members of the commission for ethics in research of Forschungszentrum Jülich. It is intended to provide additional information supporting the design of and deliberation in institutional bodies dealing with ethics of security-relevant research. It aims to highlight decisions and options relevant to different institutions and refers to further sources of information throughout.


Contributing Institute(s):
  1. Gehirn & Verhalten (INM-7)
  2. Arbeits- und Wirtschaftsrecht (R-A)
Research Program(s):
  1. 5255 - Neuroethics and Ethics of Information (POF4-525) (POF4-525)

Appears in the scientific report 2025
Database coverage:
Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0 ; OpenAccess
Click to display QR Code for this record

The record appears in these collections:
Institute Collections > INM > INM-7
Document types > Reports > Reports
Document types > Books > Books
Workflow collections > Public records
Publications database
Open Access

 Record created 2025-03-20, last modified 2025-04-11


OpenAccess:
Download fulltext PDF
Rate this document:

Rate this document:
1
2
3
 
(Not yet reviewed)