Ethical Implications - BBSRC specific
Provide a summary of any social and/or ethical implications of the work proposed. The summary must follow the heading structure detailed below. All areas must be included, even if the response is ‘not applicable’. If the response is ‘not applicable; please provide an explanation for this:
1) Use of animals or humans
If your research involves the use of animals or human participants, please detail the potential for public concern relating to the research and what you will do during the course of the project to address these concerns.
2) Societal impact
Do you think the value/usefulness or your research might be questioned by any sectors of society? Please explain your answer.
The impact your research outcomes may have on individuals in society, both in the UK and globally. Consider for example:
Are the risks and benefits likely to be shared evenly across society, or might these disproportionately affect certain communities?
Could existing disadvantages or discriminations for socially marginalised or excluded groups be increased or decreased?
Is there the opportunity for specific groups, including industry, Government or charity sponsors, to have a large influence on the work?
Could your work lead to impacts on human dignity or consumer choice?
3) Environmental impact
Could your research give rise to reasonable concerns about likely impacts on the environment? For example:
Could your research lead to significant changes in land use, habitats or biodiversity, or impact upon pollution or water conservation?
Might there be indirect as well as direct effects on the environment and might these impacts occur abroad as well as in the UK?
4) Unintended outcomes
Could your research lead to unintended outcomes that were not originally the primary objective? Consider whether any of these outcomes might reasonably be seen to represent a misuse or abuse of science in the service of society.
5) Other social or ethical questions
Please detail any other ethical or social questions that are relevant and have not been addressed in the sections above and what you will do during the course of the project to monitor the social/ethical issues above and identify new issues as they arise.
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