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Objective:This paper analyzed the current situation and issues of ethical supervision of science and technology projects supported by central financial funds and proposed countermeasures to improve project management.Methods:Considering the practical management experience of a key special project during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, this article investigated ethical supervision issues in various stages including guideline preparation, review and approval, process management, and final acceptance, and proposed four levels of review for ethical oversight according to the characteristics of the research projects and the degree of ethical risks involved.Results:Firstly, lower-risk projects should still be reviewed by the Institutional Ethics Committee, and the project implementation unit should primarily assume responsibility for ethical supervision and follow-up on the review. Second, in addition to the review by the Institutional Ethics Committee, the Project Management Institution should strengthen ethical supervision and take risk control measures at different nodes for sensitive projects and higher ethical risk projects. Third, projects with large ethical controversies and high-risk projects should be reviewed by the National Science and Technology Ethics Committee and a public participation discussion mechanism for major ethical issues should be established. Finally, it is suggested to conduct prospective ethical studies for cutting-edge new technologies and new fields.Conclusions:In the process of managing science and technology program projects, strengthening ethical oversight in the management of science and technology projects should both standardize relevant scientific and technological research activities and not impede the growth of scientific and technological innovation. In view of the differences in ethical risks that may be involved in different projects, hierarchical examination, and supervision measures should be taken to effectively guarantee the smooth implementation of science and technology planning projects.
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Resumo Entrevista com o químico e geneticista Flávio Lewgoy, que também foi perito criminalístico e ambientalista. Lewgoy protagonizou importantes lutas pela saúde humana e pela qualidade ambiental no Rio Grande do Sul. Foi um dos responsáveis pela redação das leis estadual (1982) e federal (1989) dos agrotóxicos. Ele acreditava possuir o dever de usar os conhecimentos científicos para sustentar suas posições na militância ambiental e percebia esta atuação como um compromisso ético, uma retribuição à sociedade, por sua formação, realizada em instituições públicas.
Abstract Interview with chemist and geneticist Flávio Lewgoy, who was also an expert criminal and environmental investigator. Lewgoy was at the center of important struggles for human health and environmental quality in Rio Grande do Sul, and was one of the people behind state (1982) and federal (1989) laws governing pesticide use. He believed he had a duty to use scientific knowledge to support his positions on environmental activism and saw this activity as an ethical commitment, a way of paying back society for the education he received in public institutions.
Sujet(s)
Humains , Brésil , Entretiens comme sujet , AgrochimieRÉSUMÉ
The peer review process is the dominant system adopted in science to evaluate the quality of articles submitted for publication. Various social players are involved in this process, including authors, editors and reviewers. Much has been discussed about the need to improve the scientific quality of what is published. The main focus of these discussions has been the work of the authors. However, the editors and reviewers also fulfill an important role. In this opinion article, we discuss some proposals to improve the peer review system, emphasizing the role of reviewers and editors.
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It is great honor to be awarded the Avicenna Prize of Ethics in Science by UNESCO.The award is not only a recognition of my own work but also a commendation of the efforts of my colleagues in China who are devoted to the ethics of science and technology and to raising the ethical awareness among scientists,policy makers and the public.I am indebted to international organizations such as UNESCO,and many of my foreign colleagues who have been a constant source of support and inspiration for the past decades.There are two approaches in addressing ethical issues in life science.One is the flying-kite model.The other ethical approach is based on the riding-bicycle model.However,there will never be an omnipotent ethical theory that is capable of resolving all ethical issues in the past,present and future.Our decision should not be reached by direct deduction from any theory or principle alone.It is absolutely necessary to regulate biomedical research and biotechnology to ensure proper development of biomedicine and biotechnology.The institutionalization of bioethics in scientific research aims at building an infrastructure or a framework to protect human subjects.Nevertheless some scientists and policy makers still have misunderstanding about ethics.This shows that attitudes can change and that social progress is possible,but it takes patience and persistent intellectual engagement.The outcome of such a reconciliation approach would be as what Confucius said: he er bu tong(Lun Yu,Chapter 13,paragraph 23).It means "harmonized but not identical" or "harmonized as well as diversified" in China′s and world′s bioethics.