The EMBL Ethics Board offers independent, practical advice to Bioethics Services on the application of ethical issues in the life sciences
The Scope of the Ethics Board
The EMBL Ethics Board is underpinned by three value-based pillars.
1. Foster trust in research
Anticipate ethical concerns raised by new developments in scientific research, and asses what impact they have on different stakeholders
Encourage collaboration and communication between all relevant stakeholders, scientists, policymakers, funders, society, etc. on these issues
Provide consistency on managing “ethics-to-science” practice gaps in a European context
2. Enable inclusivity and dialogue
Practice multidisciplinary dialogue across areas such as science, medicine, law, technology, philosophy, theology and other relevant disciplines
Facilitate communication with diverse publics to enable dialogue on the ethical, legal and societal impact of new developments in scientific research
Ensure that the decision-making process considers the positions and perspectives of all relevant stakeholders, creating forums for dialogue between them
3. Facilitate transparency and accountability
Propose independent guidance on applied ethical questions arising in life science research in a freely available format
Advise on the practical implementation of ethical issues in the life sciences through the lens of a Board defined by expertise, multidisciplinarity and coordination
Develop a variety of mediums to share best practice, such as through reports, White Papers, journal articles and beyond, as well as Seminars, Conferences and Symposia
The Chair of the Ethics Board
Hervé Chneiweiss, Research Director at the CNRS
Hervé is a neurologist and neuroscientist, MD-PhD, Research Director at the CNRS, and hospital neuro-oncologist at AP-HP. He is currently Head of the research centre Neuroscience Paris Seine (CNRS /Inserm/Sorbonne University). Trained as a neurologist (movement disorders, neurogenetics), his scientific work for the last 20+ years has mainly been dedicated to the biology of astrocytes, including their roles in brain tumour origin, progression, and plasticity, as well as identifying new metabolic drivers and therapeutic avenues. He has authored more than 180 academic papers.
He is also involved in bioethics, presently as chair of the Inserm Ethics Committee (IEC) and formerly as chair of UNESCO International Bioethics Committee. He is also a former member of the WHO advisory committee on developing global standards for governance and oversight of human genome editing and the vice-chair of ARRIGE (the Association for Responsible Research and Innovation in Genome Editing), as well as the OECD expert for Recommendation 457 on neurotechnology in health. He has written several books and chapters on bioethics of human embryos, stem cells, genetics, and neuroscience.
