Ethics reviews in the European Union. Implications for the governance of scientific research in times of data science and Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

socially accountable and reflexive of societal challenges and includes a more heterogeneous set of practitioners, 6 beyond those for 'core science', to ensure the quality of scientific inputs. 7 This reflects a broadening of the review system that is not only limited to the self-reflecting judgments of disciplinary peers, 8 but it also includes criteria related to social, economic or political goals. A 'good' scientific project also depends on whether its result will be competitive on the market, cost-effective or ethically acceptable. In this regard, a shift from ethics rooted in (often implicit) academic norms to increasingly bureaucratised regulatory frameworks and review bodies has taken place. 9At the European Commission (EC), ethics reviews have been presented as a means to 'achieve research excellence', which includes making researchers and public and private organisations accountable for their research activities and respecting legal frameworks. 10 Ensuring ethics compliance at an earlier stage is especially useful for the EC, since it helps to screen proposals more efficiently during the proposal selection procedure, it contributes to protecting researchers and organisations from reputational and financial damages, 11 thus enhancing the social acceptance of research activities and avoiding public uneasiness towards science. 12 6 Gibbons and others (n 1) 3.