Registrations Closed! Registrations Closed!
Welcome
to the 27 NEC Forum, 2021
Emerging challenges in the fields of science, technology and medicine are ever expanding, often in unexpected directions and offering the possibility of profound and lasting changes.
Ethics, as a partner of progress, takes on even greater relevance in areas that seem to require extraordinary prudence at a time when existential choices are to be made, with prolonged impact on individuals, families, societies and the environment.
From the onset, the NEC Forum experts have worked in tandem to generate knowledge that leads to practical wisdom, thinking about how such a platform can contribute to an intellectual, moral and civic ecology, favourable to inclusive and tolerant reflection.
The CNECV, as an independent body working in liaison with the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic, aims to strengthen this collective debate and help prepare the path to our common future.
Organizers
summary
The 27th Forum of the National Ethics and Bioethics Councils - NEC Forum was held on 19 and 20 May 2021. Here you can find the NEC Forum Summary and key messages.
More on the 27 NEC Forum and the NEC Forum platform
The National Ethics Committees (NEC) Forum is a network of all European national ethics and bioethics advisory bodies, as a platform for the exchange of information, experience and best practices on issues of common interest within the fields of ethics, science and new technologies. The NEC Forum meetings are hosted by the Member State holding the rotative Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The 27 NEC Forum was jointly organised by Conselho Nacional de Ética para as Ciências da Vida/The National Council of Ethics for the Life Sciences (CNECV) and the European Commission, within the framework of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The event took place from 19 to 20 May 2021 as a non-public fully virtual meeting. The two-day work program was focus on ethical issues of emerging technologies, such as AI and Robotics, social media platforms, environmental ethics and dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic moving forward. A presentation on “Ethics Reviews of Research Projects Outside the Field of Biomedical Research” closed our scientific program.
The NEC Forum engages prominent experts to reflect alongside Ethics Committees representatives, the European Group on Ethics for the New Technologies and the European Commission on ethical issues of global concern. National Councils from non-EU countries are also invited to attend the Forum meetings and share their experience.
PROGRAM
19TH MAY 2021
Wednesday
Central European Summer Time (CEST)
WELCOME ADDRESSES
14:00 – 14:15
Jorge SOARES | Chair of the National Council of Ethics for the Life Sciences, CNECV, Portugal
Patrick CHILD | Deputy Director-General in DG Research and Innovation (R&I) at the European Commission
Marcelo REBELO DE SOUSA | President of the Portuguese Republic (Video Message)
OPENING SESSION
MORAL VALUES AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
Chair | Paula MARTINHO DA SILVA | International Bioethics Committee (IBC) - UNESCO
14:20 – 14:40
The Future of Social Media: Re-humanisation and Regulation
Gerd LEONHARD | Keynote Speaker, Futurist & Humanist, Author, CEO The Futures Agency
14:40 – 15:00
Steffen STEINERT | Ethics and Philosophy of Technology section Technische Universiteit Delft
15:00 - 15:30
Discussion
STATEMENT OF THE EUROPEAN GROUP ON ETHICS IN SCIENCE AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES (EGE)
15:30 – 15:50
Julian KINDERLERER | Emeritus Professor of IP Law at the University of Cape Town, Visiting Professor at the School of Law of the University of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
15:50 – 16:20
Downtime
FOCUS I
PANDEMIC, THE DAY AFTER
Chair | Romuald KRAJEWSKI | Secretary of Appeal Bioethics Committee, National Cancer Institute, Poland
16:20 – 16:40
François HIRSCH | Inserm Ethics Committee, National Commission of Research Ethics Committees
16:40 – 17:00
Laurence LWOFF | Head Bioethics Unit, Secretary of the DH-BIO, Council of Europe
17:00 – 17:20
Grazia ZUFFA | Italian Committee for Bioethics
17:20 – 17:50
Discussion
CULTURAL MOMENT
20TH MAY 2021
thursday
Central European Summer Time (CEST)
FOCUS II
ETHICS ON EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Chair | Alena BUYX | Chair of the German Ethics Council
10:00 – 10:20
Virginia DIGNUM | Umea University. WASP-HS (Humanities and Society)
10:20 – 10:40
Philip BREY | University of Twente
10:40 – 11:00
TaiWon OH | President of the Korea Society of Internet Ethics, Kyung-il University
11:00 – 11:20
Julia PRIEß-BUCHHEIT | Coburg University of Applied Sciences
11:20 – 11:50
Discussion
11:50 – 13:00
Downtime (lunch)
FOCUS III
ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Chair | Klaus Peter RIPPE | Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology (ECNH)
13:00 – 13:20
Eva GELINSKY | Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology (ECNH)
13:20 – 13:40
Environmental ethics and the question of inter-generation justice: Its origins and ethical foundation
Evangelos D. PROTOPAPADAKIS | School of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, University in Athens; Hellenic National Commission for Bioethics & Technoethics
13:40 – 14:00
Deborah H. OUGHTON | World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST)
14:00 – 14:30
Discussion
CLOSING SESSION
ETHICS REVIEWS OF RESEARCH PROJECTS OUTSIDE THE FIELD OF BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
14:30 – 14:50
Dirk LANZERATH | Secretary General of EUREC, Managing Director of the German Reference Centre for Ethics in the Life Sciences (DRZE), University of Bonn, Germany
14:50 - 15:20
General discussion
CLOSING REMARKS
15:20 – 15:40
Jorge SOARES | Chair of the National Council of Ethics for the Life Sciences, CNECV, Portugal
Isidoros KARATZAS | Head of the Research Ethics and Integrity Sector, DG RTD, European Commission
Marjeta TERČELJ | Vice Chair of the Commission of the Republic of Slovenia for Medical Ethics, University Clinical Centre Ljubljana
CULTURAL MOMENT
Marta Pereira da Costa, herself a civil engineer and researcher, is the world's only professional female fado guitar player, and she is quickly becoming an ambassador of Portugal's most iconic musical tradition.
We will listen to “Encontro” by Rogério Charraz e “Verdes Anos & Summertime” by Carlos Paredes and George Gershwin, interpreted by Marta Pereira da Costa on the Portuguese Guitar, António Pinto on Classical Guitar, Gonçalo Leonardo on the Double Bass, Alexandre Diniz on Piano and André Sousa Machado on Percurssion.
We hope you enjoy it.
welcome addresses
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
President of the Portuguese Republic
Jorge Soares
Chair of the National Council of Ethics for the Life Sciences, Portugal
Patrick Child
Deputy Director-General in DG Research and Innovation (R&I) at the European Commission
speakers and moderators
Paula Martinho da Silva
International Bioethics Committee (IBC) - UNESCO
Gerd Leonhard
Keynote Speaker, Futurist & Humanist, Author, CEO The Futures Agency
Steffen Steinert
Delft University of Technology, Ethics and Philosophy of Technology Section
Julian Kinderlerer
IP Law at the University of Cape Town, School of Law of the University of Kwazulu-Natal
Romuald Krajewski
Appeal Bioethics Committee, National Cancer Institute, Poland
Alena Buyxt
Chair of the German Ethics Council
Virginia Dignum
Professor of Responsible Artificial Intelligence at Umeå University, Sweden and associated with the TU Delft in the Netherlands
Philip Brey
Professor of philosophy and ethics of technology at the Department of Philosophy, University of Twente, the Netherlands
Taiwon Oh
Professor of the department of police and administration at Kyungil University
Julia Prieß-Buchheit
Professor of Education and Didactics at the University of Applied Sciences Coburg, Germany
Klaus Peter Rippe
Chair of Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology (ECNH)
Evangelos D. Protopapadakis
Associate Professor of Applied Ethics
Isidoros Karatzas
European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Marjeta Terčelj
Associate Prof. PhD, internist and pneumologist
CONFERENCE
COORDINATION
Isidoros Karatzas
Head of the Research Ethics and Integrity Sector, European Commission, DG Research & Innovation
Isidoros Karatzas is a biochemist and psychologist by training. After joining the European Commission, he was responsible for the ex-post evaluation of the Framework Programme. Isidoros managed the risk governance research file and was the scientific secretary of the European Research Advisory Board (EURAB), a high-level body that advised the Commission on research policy and research priorities. Currently, he is the head of the Research Ethics and Integrity Sector in DG Research and Innovation. As head of the Sector, he established the Ethics Appraisal process for the research Framework Programmes, initiated advanced training courses on research ethics for Commission staff and the research community and has set up the first European system on ethics checks and follow-up. In addition, the sector oversees the research integrity policy activities, including the relations with relevant stakeholders such as ALLEA, LERU, Science Europe and the business community.
Jorge Soares
Chair of the National Council of Ethics for the Life Sciences, CNECV, Portugal
Member of DH-BIO of the Council of Europe
Former Vice-President, Ethics Council of the Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon; Advisor to the Board of Trustees and Former Director of Innovation in Health Department, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon; Former Director of the Institute of Forensic Sciences, and Professor of Legal Medicine and Ethics; Professor of Pathology, NOVA Medical School and Lisbon Medical School (retired); Past President, Scientific Council for Health Sciences – Science & Technology Foundation (Portugal); Past President, Portuguese Society of Pathology, Senology and Medical Sciences; Member Emeritus of the Portuguese Academy of Medicine, Diploma Award of the European Society of Pathology, Portuguese Medical Association (gold medal), Ministry of Health (gold medal).
Edyta Sikorska
European Commission
DG Research & Innovation
RTD.03.001- Research Ethics and Integrity Sector
IEdyta SIKORSKA, a clinical psychologist by background, a specialist in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). For several years, she worked as psychologist-counsellor for NGOs and local government in Gdansk, Poland. As from 2009 she has been working for the EU Institutions. Prior to her current position, she was responsible for public procurement in the Science in Society Unit. Currently, she is working in the Ethics and Research Integrity Sector, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission. She is responsible for operational issues in the ethics appraisal process, experts’ support and ethics helpdesk. In addition, she is responsible for the cooperation with the representatives of National Ethics Councils and organization of the NEC Forum meetings.
Cíntia Águas
Executive Secretary to the CNECV
Law Degree, Faculty of Law, University of Coimbra. Registered Lawyer since 2002. Post-graduate training in Administrative Law and Litigation. Training course in Public Management. PhD student in Bioethics and Researcher at the Bioethics Institute of the Portuguese Catholic University. Guest lecturer at Universidade de Lisboa, Universidade de Coimbra, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Nursing School S. Francisco das Misericórdias. Member of the Bioethics Study Centre. Member of the Ethics Reflection Group of the Portuguese Association of Palliative Care. Vice-President of the Ethics Commission of the Portuguese Red Cross School of Health - Lisbon. Author of articles, papers and scientific communications in the areas of bioethics and citizenship, justice and bioethics, new technologies, genetically modified organisms, Biobanks and DNA databases, PMA, human rights and access to drinking water.
Mara de Sousa Freitas
Assessor to the CNECV
PhD in Bioethics. Postgraduate degrees in Medicine Law and Bioethics. Specialization in Anthropology and Health. Registered Nurse (RN). Visiting Assistant Professor of Ethics and Deontology at ESEL. External Visiting Assistant Professor for the PhD in Bioethics, Un. Catholic University of Portugal, MSc in Palliative Care, Faculty of Medicine of the Un. Lisbon, PhD Faculty of Pharmacy of the Un. of Lisbon, Nova Medical School. Coordination of Post-Graduation Courses in Bioethics, Faculty of Law, Un. Lisbon. Coordination of the Organisational Ethics unit, Egas Moniz CRL. External scientist at Nova University of Lisbon – Nova Health: Value Improvement in Health and Care. European Commission ethics expert, since 2015. Member/rapporteur of the Ethics Committee of the Health Parliament Portugal (2017-2019); President of the Ethics Committee Universidade Católica Portuguesa and LInQUE Palliative Care. Member of the Ethics Committee for Health of the National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge. Author of national and international publications on Bioethics, Medicine Law, Ethics in Health Care and Ethics in Palliative Care.
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Description: Personal data related to this invitation will be processed in accordance with Regulation (EC) no 4512001 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data.
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Personal data collected and further processed are:
Data necessary for the organisation and management of the meeting, such as Gender (needed for the right title)/name/surname/profession/postal & E-mail Addresses/phone number/fax number/etc.
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Controller: General Director of Directorate-General Research & Innovation
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