Research relevance
The fifth principle, responsibility, is of primary importance. If research is the quest for knowledge, the first question is what knowledge we want to acquire. Biomedical research and data are meant to generate basic and applied knowledge on biology, health and healthcare. Some research is considered unacceptable. For example, a recent study concerning tobacco use, which was sponsored by the tobacco industry, was seen as unethical because its independence was compromised and it had a high potential to cause harm to society. Similarly, in the EU Horizon Europe programme, research activities directed at e.g. creating human embryos for research purposes solely, are not considered ethical and are therefore not eligible for funding.
While it may not always be evident what the impact of a specific study will be, researchers should always ask themselves whether their proposed studies are:
- relevant, i.e. how they will contribute to the advancement of knowledge;
- beneficent, i.e. how they are likely to contribute to society in the short and long term;
- maleficent, i.e. whether or not and to what extent they may harm human subjects or animals: do possible harms outweigh the benefits expected?;
- independent, i.e. how they serve societal rather than personal, commercial or ideological interests
Although outcomes may be difficult to predict, individual researchers must consider these issues and research groups should develop a shared strategy after weighing up these considerations.