Future work
The Council has developed a thorough process for selecting new topics.
The Council's Future Work Sub-Group identifies and considers potential future work topics, and makes recommendations to the Council on which should be explored in more detail. To help it do this, the Group consults a wide range of external sources, including government, institutes and societies, industry, non-governmental bodies and researchers engaged in biological and biomedical research.
Membership of the Future Work Sub-Group
A short-list of topics is drawn up, and these are discussed at the Council's annual 'Forward Look' meeting with the help of invited speakers and guests. The Council then decides which topics are the most appropriate for further exploration.
For a topic to be selected, it must fit the following conditions:
- be novel: be linked to substantial new developments in medicine or biology;
- raise ethical questions and concerns of some complexity;
- be timely: the Council aims to be proactive in its selection of new topics;
- lead to a report that would be likely to have an important impact on policy or practice;
- be within the Council’s terms of reference.
Typically, once the Council has selected a potential topic for consideration, it holds an in-depth workshop to help members decide whether the issue merits further examination. If so, the Council will establish a Working Party to examine and report on the ethical, social, legal or practical issues.
Any suggestions?
If you would like to suggest a topic that you think the Council should consider in future, please email: bioethics@nuffieldbioethics.org
Last Updated Fri, 14 August 2009