Edinethics Activities

ethics in science and technology

Edinethics Ltd
11/6 Dundonald Street
Edinburgh EH3 6RZ
Tel: +44 (0)8456 444937
Email: info@edinethics.co.uk
Web: www.edinethics.co.uk

Edinethics Current Work

Edinethics is currently working on 3 main projects in cutting edge ethical issues

Partner in the European Commission FP7 ESNATS Project on the use of embryonic stem cells as alternatives to animal testing of pharmaceuticals for toxicity (2008-2012)

Partner in the European Commission FP7 ETHENTECH Project on the ethics of implants for medicine and human enhancement (2009-11)

Writing the Ethics section of new schools' booklet for secondary schools on the scientific, legal and ethical aspects of Stem Cell Research for BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council)

Wrote Democs card game for public engagement on Synthetic Biology for the ESRC Genomics Forum and the Scottish Government (2009). Download the Democs Game

Edinethics is also part of the the UK SynBioStandards network (Edinburgh, Cambridge, Imperial College and Brunel)

Partner in Wellcome trust Open Up! Project with the New Economics Foundation, producing novel interactive 'argument maps', to help people start to explore complex ethical issues like the potential for enhancing human beings and using animals in medical research.

Ethics and Public Engagement

In several of these projects we are partners with the New Economics Foundation (nef) on developing new tools - like the Democs card game and the Open Up! argument maps - for engaging wider publics in thinking about these and other issues. We believe that to address the challenges of emerging issues like these needs a combination of expert ethical analysis and also lay insights which come from public engagement.

Nanotechnology Projects

Edinethics is also much involved with the ethics of nanotechnologies, including work with other projects in this field :

member of the Advisory Board of the Institute of Nanotechnology and
member of the Nanotechnology Stakeholder Forum of DEFRA
member of the Advisory Board of European Commission FP7 Framing Nano project
member of the ethical working group of the EC FP7 NanoMedRound
member of the new Society for the Study of Nanoscience and Emerging technologies (S.NET)
an advisor to the EC ObservatoryNano FP7 projects
an advisor to the EC EuroNanoBio FP7 projects
wrote the ethical part of the Nano&Me website project of the Responsible Nanoforum (for the Department for Business Innovation and Skills)

Edinethics was also part of two now completed EC FP6 projects on nanobiotechnology :

Other Recent Activities

Talk on Energy Policy in 2020 for Scottish Episcopal Church Rural Futures Conference, 9 December 2009.
Talk on New ethical issues in Stem Cells at the World Council of Churches consultation "Stem cells in the servce of human life?" at the Volos Academy. Greece, 9-11 November 2009.
Talk on ethics and Genetically Modified Food at the consultation GM technology: significance for UK food and farming at St George's House Windsor Castle, 11-12 February 2009.

Forthcoming Activities

Lecture on ethics at the 3rd European Conference for Clinical Nanomedicine, ClinAm in Basel, Switzerland, 7-12 May 2010. The first two meetings have provided a stimulating and much needed forum in which the latest research in nanomedicine engages with the current real world problems in different fields of clinical medicine. Recommended.
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