(WP1): Important coordination measures to monitor the progress of the project and to support smooth cooperation within the consortium were carried out in WP 1, including:
- Development of a suitable data management plan (DMP) as a living document
- Establishment of an internal review process for quality assurance;
- Creation of an evaluation protocol that focuses on both the project process and results (outputs, outcomes and impacts) and includes a risk register.
(WP2): The identification of the focus technologies, the creation of a database with metadata on 3.332 articles dealing with ethical and legal issues of the selected technologies, the development of five case studies related to the selected technologies (a sixth will be created at a later stage) and the elaboration of recommendations for dealing with ethical challenges in research on selected technologies were carried out in WP 2.
The four selected technologies are:
1. AI in healthcare
2. extended reality
3. biobanking
4. genome editing (including both human and non-human applications)
The technology selection process was based on a variety of methods such as:
- Scientific literature review
- Mapping of results of other EU funded projects
- Conducting and evaluating a survey
- Engagement with partners, in particualr pilot universities
- Engagement with the irecs Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB)
- Exchange with the EC Ethics and Integrity Sector
(WP3): The elaboration of a stakeholder engagement strategy, the development of a stakeholder register based on a mapping of stakeholders from research, education, industry, politics and civil society the organization of meetings of the Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB) were carried out in WP 3. Sharing the research results of irecs with social stakeholders is a key concern of the project.
(WP4): The creation of a clear pedagogical basis for training, the identification of competence profiles for each target group of learners and the development of a table of contents for the full range of courses (including learning objectives for each module) were carried out in WP 4. The pedagogical basis for the development of training materials is based on a recognized model proposed by >Biggs<. Work has been undertaken to upgrade the >ENERI classroom< for hosting the irecs modules. This upgrade will ensure that a wide range of interactive components can be included in the training (such as quizzes, surveys, multiple choice, matching, videos, animations, interviews, etc.).
(WP5): The implementation of the training programmes to be carried out as part of WP 5 has not yet started.
(WP6): The identification of completed or ongoing EU-funded projects and networks dealing with research ethics and research integrity issues, with a particular focus on new and emerging technologies, was carried out in WP 6. A research ethics cluster was formed and the results and findings have been and will continue to be shared in regular cluster meetings.
