Dual use, research misuse, human rights
Dual use, research misuse, human rights
Dual use and research misuse
When doing dual-use research, it is imperative that you consider not only legal but also ethical implications; of doing research with a potential military finality, working with military partners or partners active in the defense industry, funded by the military, or when developing goods or technology that could be interesting for military applications. In these cases, researchers should get in touch with their institution’s ethics committee or dual use contact point.
When doing military use or dual use research, there might be a potential for sensitive research data to be misused for unethical purposes, e.g., for criminal or terrorist purposes. Researchers are required to reflect on this potential and install mitigating measures on how to prevent it. An important note is that possible dual use or misuse of the research results is evidently not always foreseen but can manifest itself without the consent of the researchers. Considering how possible harm against animals, humans or the environment can be foreseen is a necessary reflection.
- Each year, the European Union publishes an EU Dual-use export control list (annex I of Regulation (EC) No 428/2009). If you want to share goods, software or technology on this list outside the EU, you are required to apply for a dual-use export license. It doesn’t matter whether you’re sharing the results during the research (e.g., with proper project partners), or sending them to third parties. ‘Sharing’ is to be understood in a broad way and includes the dissemination of technological knowledge in scientific journals, in papers or during visits abroad.
- Likewise, a list for military equipment is published by the European Commission. Exporting items can have specific regulations or might even be restricted by sanctions.
- The Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR) provided guidelines on dual use that help researchers to determine whether or not the dual-use regulations apply for their research.
Human rights
In order to prevent contributing to, or benefiting from, human rights violations, research collaborations should be subject to a human rights assessment. The assessment checks whether the activities might contribute to human rights violations or whether the partner might be involved in human rights violations. If it looks like the activity, partner, sector or region is linked to serious or systematic human rights violations, the research project should be submitted to the competent ethics committee at your host institution.
Flemish best practice: Recommendations for implementing a human rights assessment at the Flemish universities (VLIR).