The aim of the call is to facilitate multinational, collaborative research projects that will address important questions regarding ethical, philosophical, legal and socio-cultural aspects related to the neurosciences and their recent advances, to provide scientific knowledge for an informed debate in science and society, evaluate opportunities and risks associated with technological and methodological progress and to expand the general knowledge base. This will help the various stakeholders in politics, science and society to gain a better understanding of these aspects and provides the basis for the development of a legal framework for neuroscience and for drafting general guidelines for the practical application of technologies and methods.

Funded projects may address, but are not limited to the following exemplary thematic fields:

• the consequences of the development of neuroscientific diagnostic methods (e.g. handling of incidental findings; the “right not to know”; very early disease prediction before symptoms occur; diagnosis in absence of treatment options; interactions between socio-culturally diverse patients and health personnel; (equal) access to novel expensive methods; unintended use and/or misuse),
• issues in clinical research with patients suffering from neurological or psychiatric diseases (e.g. developing tools to improve the assessment of decision-making capacity of patients, analysis of legal measures to protect those who do not have the capacity to consent),
• intelligent technologies and close human-machine interaction (e.g. ambient assisted living, braincomputer interfaces, machine learning); personality changes as side effects of neurological or psychiatric therapies (e.g. deep brain stimulation; brain implants),
• biobanking of neural tissue (e.g. tissue donation, deceased donor, possible consequences for relatives),
• use of brain data; brain interventions in legal contexts (e.g. neurorights, data protection, “brain reading” for the detection of deception; brain intervention of offenders; psychosurgery; insurance law),
• the impact of modern neuroscience on traditional philosophical questions, concepts and theories regarding fundamental aspects of human nature (e.g. the relationship between mind and brain, the nature of consciousness, self- and personal identity, free will),
• neuroenhancement such as alteration of mental states (cognitive, affective) and abilities (e.g. cognition, sleep, appetite, sexual behaviour) in healthy subjects by pharmacological or by electrical/magnetic brain stimulation,
• abnormal behaviour reduced to deviant brain states (e.g. expansion of the concept of neurotypical brain and illness; seeing psychiatric symptoms merely as specific neurochemical imbalances),
• societal and cultural changes induced by neuroscientific knowledge and its application,
• responsible research an innovation in neurotechnology and neuroscience.

The individual components of joint applications should be complementary and should contain novel, ambitious ideas to answer key questions or lead to a step-wise change in understanding. There should be clear added value in funding the collaboration over the individual projects.

The call seeks to strengthen public and patient engagement in research and thereby empowerment. Applicants are expected to engage citizens and/or patients, where appropriate, in their research process. Meaningful public and patient engagement can occur at the level of research planning, conducting research or research result dissemination.

Proposals without primarily ethical, legal and/or social implication cannot be funded.

Timeline and eligibility criteria:

• May 4^th, 2023 – full-proposal submission
• BMBF funding (a total of 1,5 Mio. EUR), 20 % overhead on direct costs)
• funding for transnational joint projects with min two partner from two participating countries
• maximum of five partners

Participating countries:

Belgium, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan

Further information:

https://www.neuron-eranet.eu/joint-calls/elsa/elsa-jtc2023-neuroethics/

Contact at EPC:

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Project Manager

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Mr Dr. Stefan Schuldt

ERA-Nets, BMBF Complementary measures

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European Project Center

European Project Center

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