What is to be done when ethically indefensible things happen in research cooperation?
International cooperation is often part of modern research. This implies that the research partners may come from different cultural environments and have different value systems, that even significant human rights may be affected. For successful collaboration a common basic ethical standard is necessary. The adopted code is intended to support researchers in addressing this topic.
"What is my responsibility, when I realize that my cooperation partner is controlled by an in-transparent government organization?" "What must I do, when I know that my partner will not have the right to publish his results?" "Is it permissible to do research with personal data that has been acquired in a police state?" ETH researchers may be confronted with these and other questions of an ethical nature; in particular when they participate in or negotiate international cooperation. The "Code of Conduct for Scientific Cooperation" that ETH Executive Board adopted September 1, 2014 is intended as support for such issues.
Protection of the rights of all
As an institution of the Federal Government, ETH Zurich is required to comply with the human rights laid down in the Federal Constitution as basic rights. "In addition ETH Zurich is required to see that human rights are respected by its partners within the framework of scientific cooperation," says Raffael Iturrizaga, Secretary of the ETH Ethics Commission and Scientific Coordinator at the staff unit Scientif Coordination, and emphasizes: "ETH wants to profit from scientific cooperation; but not at the expense of the basic rights of others." Especially among these rights are freedom of research, academic freedom, freedom to publish, freedom of opinion, freedom to travel, effective protection from racial, religious, sexual discrimination and from detriment of physical integrity, and protection of human dignity.
When ETH researchers, in the framework of concrete cooperation, meet with a critical situation regarding human rights, they are called upon to engage in a careful consideration of values. They must consider the expected research results and the moral objections, but also the opportunity to possibly improve the human rights situation of the cooperation partner. In this regard, the code serves as a basis. The document in no way prescribes a result for the researchers to achieve in an individual case. "This is in keeping with the culture at ETH Zurich of trust and individual responsibility," according to Raffael Iturrizaga. However, despite the diversity of individual decisions, there needs to be a common denominator, which unifies our conduct as an institution. The smallest common denominator is the criteria of the code.
No obligatory standard
Depending on the case, it is no simple task for the researchers concerned to consider questions of ethical conduct. In cases of doubt, they are always free to consult the confidant of the ETH Ethics Commission or Raffael Iturrizaga. The code should be applied to concrete individual cooperation projects and their respective team members. Neither the closer (e.g. the university) nor the more distant environment (e.g. the country or the company) is the focus.
Regarding the code, with which ETH Zurich takes a position on ethical topics, and incidentally is a trailblazer, it is not at present a legally binding regulation. Rather it should serve as an impetus for a discussion and a learning process. "The primary objective is to sensitize ETH researchers for the topic and encourage their sense of responsibility in this regard," says Raffael Iturrizaga, adding: "The Executive Board also wants to gather insight from the document and the experience it brings. Experience will indicate how such a code can be implemented."
Interested in discussion
Previous to the adoption of the new document, in April 2014 a total of 47 ETH units were invited to comment. They basically welcomed the adoption of common criteria for ethical questions in scientific cooperation. However, some comments found the code too restrictive; others, on the other hand, too noncommittal. Therefore the Executive Board wants to continue the discussion on the topic. Raffael Iturrizaga: "In fact with the code ETH is moving on relatively unexplored terrain. We are interested in an internal ETH dialogue, and an exchange with other institutions in which we can contribute our knowledge and experience."
In order to deepen the topic with scientifically active colleagues, the Scientific Coordination Staff and the University Communication Department are planning a web-platform with concrete case examples as well as a discussion forum.