The ERCIM Ethics Working Group is organizing a workshop/seminar on October 17/18th, 2022, targeted at researchers and Research Ethics Boards (REBs). The event will consist of keynotes, presentations, tutorials and interactive sessions, and will provide ample time for open discussions. Different outcomes are envisioned, including some which may be directed towards policy makers.
The responsible and ethical conduct of research in science and engineering is critical for excellence, socially relevant impact and public trust. The practice of ethical and regulatory review of research grew out of very harmful so-called medical research involving human subjects that came to light in the early 1970s, as the widespread adoption of ethical principles in the conduct of human studies were slow to develop up to that point despite the Nuremberg Code (1947). Institutional Review Boards and the Belmont Report (1979) then came out of the US, remaining today an essential reference along with the Declaration of Helsinki (1964) for Research Ethics Boards (REBs), the latter ensuring appropriate steps are taken to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects involved in research studies around the world. Regulations in the domain of biomedical research have been fairly effective in balancing the progress of research with the protection of research subjects, and have largely contributed to create a culture of ethical awareness around research involving human subjects.
Reflecting upon the ethical issues they faced, including some that existing oversight authorities may have been unaware of or that went beyond their usual purview, a group of computer science researchers described how the guidelines of the Belmont report can be usefully applied in fields related to research involving information and communication technology. The resulting Menlo Report (2012) adapted the three basic ethical principles established in the Belmont report - Respect for Persons/Autonomy, Beneficence, and Justice - to the context of computer security research, and added a fourth principle, Respect for Law and Public Interest. A key input of the Menlo Report is the need to perform a comprehensive stakeholder analysis to properly apply any of those principles in the complex setting of computer science and ICT research; while not the direct subjects of research, secondary stakeholders may also be harmed and may also have the right to autonomy and justice.
Digital and connected technologies have increasingly become intertwined with our individual and collective daily lives, mediating our communications, profiling our behaviours, changing how we think, live and act, and presenting new tensions that interrogate the applications of these guiding ethical principles. Research in digital sciences -- including computer science, automatic control, robotics and applied mathematics -- raises many new ethical challenges resulting from interactions between humans and deep tech. But in spite of previous efforts, researchers in these fields are often ill-equipped (and sometimes reluctant) to deal with potential ethical implications of their work and the current research framework is ill-suited to oversee the unique ethical risks emerging in association with such fields as data science and AI research. Typical questions in this context include:
About ethics in the era of big data and autonomous systems:
About best practices, training and awareness:
About ethical review and regulation:
About innovation and working with other fields:
If you are interested to participate or if you would like to receive more information, please contact the organisers at
Start-up companies in the areas of mathematics and computer science often are not bound to national borders. Especially in current times, where virtual meetings occur abundantly, this becomes even more emphasized: many start-up companies like to explore their possibilities abroad. When considering other countries, they often face several challenges. Such challenges usually concern getting to know local customers, actors, practices, or laws; or the need for local (low-budget) office space and funds.
Partners in ERCIM like to offer help for start-ups, especially those related to mathematics and informatics (ICT), to expand their businesses in other countries than their own. Several ERCIM partners thus like to cooperate with each other, in order to help out start-ups for this matter. The participating ERCIM institutes may differ in the kind of support they offer, and in whether they provide support themselves or refer start-ups to the appropriate help somewhere else.
Below, we classify certain areas for help; this eases the search for help. In addition, we show in a table which ERCIM partner (country) can offer (which type of) support, and who is the contact person. In order to request help, a start-up may reach out to the local contact person in its own country, who will assess the possibilities for referring the start-up to the requested country. Further,
Knowing the right people, companies, events, customers and other actors is of uttermost importance when a start-up company wants to reach out to some other country. Getting introduced to these can be most helpful. Examples of questions and requests that are relevant are:
Local business practices vary from country to country, even within Europe. Getting help with the local (national) practices and possible additional help can be useful for start-ups. Examples of questions that are relevant are:
Once a start-up is actually doing business abroad, the national laws, rules, and administrative matters in that country become important. Getting help on these matters or getting pointers to the right people that could help, could be essential for doing business. Examples of questions that are relevant are:
Trying to expand to another country may require actual local activities and being present. Local office space can be essential. Examples of questions or requests that are relevant are:
Acquiring appropriate funds can be important in order to expand in another country. Examples of questions that are relevant are:
For the time being, the start-up support is organised between participating ERCIM institutes only. That is, a start-up can get support from a participating ERCIM partner in another country, if the ERCIM partner in its own country participates in this start-up program.
Current participants in this program are CWI (The Netherlands), FORTH-ICS (Greece), INESC (Portugal), Inria (France) and RISE (Sweden).
All services and support are subject to availability.
i = support by the ERCIM institute; r = referral to others for support
| Country | Institute | Type of Support | Contact person for start-ups | Relevant units/initiatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | FORTH-ICS | C(r), D(i), E(r) |
|
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| France | Inria | B, C, E | Start up studio intiative, |
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| The Netherlands | CWI | A(i/r), B(i/r), C(i/r), D(r), E(r) | Incubator CWI Inc., |
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| Portugal | INESC | A, B, C, E | ||
| Sweden | RISE | A, B, D |
*All support based on availability and competency regarding the specific request. However, all requests will be reviewed, and we’re happy to answer to the best of our efforts, and connect to the right networks, competency, resources etc.
ERCIM, the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics, fosters collaboration across Europe's research community and strengthens ties with industry. It brings together leading research institutes to advance innovation and cooperation in these fields.
ERCIM’s mission is to help ensure Europe plays a leading role in the field of Information and Communication Technologies. To achieve this, ERCIM brings together a network of centres of excellence in ICT across Europe, fostering collaboration and innovation across borders.
Through its participation in research projects, ERCIM not only advances scientific knowledge but also serves as a bridge between fundamental research and practical applications. As a trusted voice in the international ICT community, ERCIM actively represents European research interests on the global stage.
In close cooperation with partners worldwide, including non-EU institutions and international organisations, ERCIM strengthens global research connections. The organisation also promote technology transfer, supports innovation, and nurtures the next generation of researchers through training and its fellowship programmes <https:// fellowship.ercim.eu>.
By creating synergies across its diverse activities, ERCIM delivers meaningful impact for its members, contributes to national research strategies, and drives European excellence in ICT.
For a general presentation of ERCIM, see the ERCIM presentation slides
The ERCIM Programme for PhD Education (EPPE) is a new mobility programme for cooperation in PhD education among ERCIM members. The goal is to add a European international dimension to PhD education by crossing national, scientific and institutional borders.
With experience from the successful ERCIM postdoctoral Fellowship Programme, the EPPE reduces administrative and formal obstacles for PhD students, supervisors and institutions when establishing cooperation.
1. The EPPE provides added value to programmes already run by ERCIM members. Participation is on voluntary basis. .
2. The EPPE is limited to the duration of the actual presence at the two cooperating ERCIM institutions during the PhD studies. The cooperation can result in a:
The Double Degree requires additional formalities, in particular regarding the the content of the curriculum and research thesis, and on the evaluation procedures. National and institutional laws and regulations must be respected. In both cases, PhD candidates will have formally assigned supervisors at both institutions.
3. Candidates have a Home Institution and a Host Institution.
4. The EPPE provides templates for cooperation agreements dealing with scientific supervision, costs, IPR, evaluation for double degrees, and other matters.
5. The programme is efficiently operated and simple to use. It provides a safe and legal platform. The rules, documents and information system permits supervisors students to easily establish a safe cooperation.
6. Through the ERCIM platform, members can raise awareness of their PhD programs and call for candidates.
A set of contract templates and guidelines is available for members on request (see contact). Based on the experiences from several member institutions, the package is composed of three main documents:
Please contact:: Emma Lière (