The Case of BIONET: Ethical Governance of Biological and Biomedical Research

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Interfaces for Advanced Social Science
Co-operation Between EU and China

• The Case of BIONETEthical Governance of
  Biological and Biomedical Research

Dr. Ole Döring, Hamburg
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BIONETEthical Governance of Biological and
Biomedical Research Chinese European
Co-operation

• 2006 - 2009
• http//www.bionet-china.org/

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BIONET A Co-ordination Action Project in EC FP
6, Science Society

• Core Partners
• Prof. Nikolas Rose, LSE, London, UK
• (Project Coordinator)
• Dr. Ole Döring, GIGA-IAS, Hamburg, Germany
• Prof. Herbert Gottweis, University of Vienna,
  Austria
• Prof. Yali CONG, Peking University Health Science
  Center, China
• Prof. Christoph Rehmann-Sutter, University of
  Basel, Switzerland (Chair, Experts Group)

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BIONETs Goal

• To set up a sustainable network of European and
  Chinese researchers.
• To undertake research, training, workshops and
  conferences.
• Produce relevant materials and documentation, on
  the ethical governance of research in the life
  sciences and biomedicine within and between China
  and European countries.

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Aims

• To map the rationales for and practices of
  ethical research governance in the life sciences
  and biomedicine in China.
• To provide a platform for the development of
  comparative research on the regulation of ethical
  governance.
• To advance social scientific understanding of key
  bioethical issues, generated in contemporary
  biomedical research through dialogue between
  researchers and practitioners in China and EC.
• To inform ethical policy and practice in
  scientific collaboration, and to help set new
  standards.
• To facilitate international dialogue between key
  policy-makers about the regulation of biomedical
  research in the EU and China.
• To build capacity in understanding and
  implementing ethical governance.

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Focus

• The focus of BIONET is upon four key ethical
  concepts
• Informed consent in biomedical research
• Benefit sharing and intellectual property in the
  results of biomedical research
• Data protection privacy, confidentiality and
  security of genomic and biomedical data.
• Ethical standards for the conduct, review and
  evaluation of biomedical research.

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Key Areas

• These issues are explored in relation to three
  key areas of contemporary biomedical research and
  practice in both the EU and China, marking
  interfaces between social (political, economics),
  cultural and the life sciences
• Reproductive medicine
• Genomics of disease susceptibility and
  treatability
• Biobanking

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Activities

• Hold FOUR research workshops within China, invite
  researchers, ethicists, social scientists and
  policy makers to explore key issues of ethical
  regulation of contemporary biomedical research,
  and to engage in capacity building
• Disseminate findings by means of TWO
  interdisciplinary and international conferences
  in China
• Set up a EU Chinese Expert Group on Ethical
  Governance of Research in the Life Sciences and
  Biomedicine
• Facilitate exchanges of personnel, research
  findings between Europe and China
• Develop a resource bank to support current and
  future research and policy development in this
  area
• Assist the development of collaborative research
  projects

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Elements of Inter-Disciplinary Research on
Interfaces

• Problem orientation (e.g., informed consent)
  and governance related
• Self-reflected inter-disciplinary collaboration -
  advanced theory and methodology
• Trans-disciplinary integration
• Impact on research policies and funding
• Guidance for policy advice

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Summary

• BIONET is a consortium that engages pro-actively
  in network-generating of Sino-European research.
• BIONET works with an adaptable methodology for
  cross-cultural, ethical governance related
  research, in order to generate multi-disciplinary
  engagement and long-term commitment, aiming for
  the highest scientific standards and reliable
  partnership.
• BIONET combines empirical mapping elements and
  normative exploration of controversial issues in
  science and ethics.
• BIONET takes up the strategic importance of
  engaging key individuals and institutions, and to
  target the top level of research, as a door to
  enter successful and sustainable collaboration
  with China, in the social sciences and the
  natural sciences.

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What has worked well and what could be improved

• in our collaborations with Chinese
  counterparts?
• Enthusiastic, serious and open-minded
  dedication towards advancing the area!
• - Lack of research infrastructure, social science
  culture and quality standards.
• What are priority themes for future joint
  European-
• Chinese programmes?
• (1) To prepare proper research conditions,
  establish a network of advanced key institutions
  and individuals on both sides. To orchestrate
  experiences, standards to draft a joint research
  agenda in the social sciences.
• (2) To target areas of shared concern in
  interface governance research.

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Areas of European Strengths

• Visible success lies in the areas where China
  explicitly demands support engineering hard
  sciences
• Europes special potential Hermeneutics,
  systematic science culture (philosophy)
• vast experience in governance through engaging
  diversity and managing freedom (politics,
  cultures).
• Examples of successful bilateral or multilateral
  collaborations indicate substantial engagement on
  the basis of individual researchers and
  institutions and resolve to overcome structural
  obstacles and deficiencies.

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Areas of European Needs

• Use the limited window of opportunity for
  European sciences to engage and set marks of
  distinction, especially anticipating emerging
  Chinese needs!
• There is a need for support of infrastructure
  building measures on the European level,
  improving the role of science in successful
  bidding, rather than bureaucracy!
• There is a substantial demand for more effective
  basic capacity building on the national levels of
  research, especially those organising social
  sciences and humanities!
• What types of activities by European
  organisations could best reflect these priorities
  in the future?

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Thank you for your attention and comments!
Dr. Ole Döring ole.doering_at_giga-hamburg.de
http//www.bionet-china.org