CSIC Ethics Committee calls for integrity to the Scientific Comunity in COVID times

Brussels, Tuesday 3 November 2020

A kind reminder that not everything is allowed 

In times of crisis, it is important to observe the ethical guidelines that must rule every scientific breakthrough. It is when we are most scared that we try to take a shortcut, sometimes disregarding the potential harm to the well-being of human or animal-kind. We might be tempted to cheat in the ambition to speed up the discovery of new vaccines, but we must hold ourselves to a higher human standard!

Approaching a scientific goal with ethical responsibility is of the utmost importance.

With that thought in mind, the CSIC Ethical Committee has published a declaration in times of COVID-19 pandemic addressing the Scientific Community about the importance, now more than ever, of the integrity of research.

Ethics Committees have the responsibility of validating the various proposals presented in accordance with current legislation and the Institutional Code of Good Scientific Practices.

“Not everything is possible. Science also has limits that should never be exceeded, and which are defined to preserve the health and well-being of people, animals and, in general, the environment. Those charged with guaranteeing that all COVID-19 scientific projects are undertaken with absolute respect for ethical standards and requirements, and respecting national and international regulations, are the Ethics Committees, which have the responsibility of validating the various proposals presented in accordance with current legislation and the Institutional Code of Good Scientific Practices,” states the declaration.

The CSIC Ethics Committee is a collegiate body that supports the Presidency of the CSIC and its Governing Council in a consultative and permanent nature. Since 2013, it is qualified to evaluate the animal experimentation projects and has since placed itself as a major national and international reference.

Its President, Dr. Lluis Montoliu, is not only one of the pioneers of the use of the CRISPR-Cas system but also a member of the Ethics Panel of the European Research Council (ERC).

The other members of the Committee include researchers Carme Torras, Antonio Almagro, Carmen Ascaso, María José Camarasa, José Vicente García Ramos, Rodolfo Gutiérrez Palacios, José Javier Lucas, Ananda Pascual, Yolanda Sanz and Víctor Velasco.

You can read the full statement here