Ethics and export control of dual use knowledge

On 20-21 November 2024, I gave a presentation on "Dual use ethics in international research collaborations" during the Erlangen II conference in Nuremberg, Germany. The conference was attended by around 70 representatives of governments, academia and other experts on export control of dual use knowledge.

Abstract:

International research collaborations on topics with dual use potential for beneficial and harmful purposes is increasingly subject to security concerns of national and EU authorities. Research organisations must take measures to prevent foreign states’ misuse of their in-house knowledge. Regarding open science, the increasing use of artificial intelligence is expected to raise more concerns for foreign interference, calling for strengthened awareness of researchers (see for example European Commission Proposal for a COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION on enhancing research security. COM(2024) 26 final 2024/0012 (NLE) Brussels, 24 January 2024). This presentation reflected on the fundamental ethical values at stake and on experiences with training on ethics and responsibility in dual use research in the framework of international export control collaborations (e.g. virtual course on ethics in dual use life sciences at https://www.istc.int/export-control). Participants will be invited to self-assess ethical impacts of open access chemical safety data involving dilemmas for balancing security concerns with academic freedom and expected societal benefits, using online Ethical Impact Assessment tools.

See also this comment.