D13.2 Ethical Label Template

Abstract

The results of the survey through the online questionnaire “what do you know about ethics in geosciences?” described in the Deliverable 13.1 (http://www.envriplus.eu/wpcontent/uploads/2015/08/D13.1.pdf) has clearly shown the general recognition by interviewees on the importance of ethical and social aspects involved in own research and technological activities, but at the same time identified a general lack of awareness on what this concretely means. In addition, even if problems related to internal dynamics of the research working environment seem to be known or at least perceived, what one's own work can mean for the benefit of society seems not so clear, and ethical and social implications related to activities are perceived as quite difficult to be analyzed. ENVRIplus is aimed at providing shared solutions for science and society. The questionnaire developed not only helped to learn more about ethical matters with respect to scientific work, but also raised with its distribution recipients’ (ENVRIplus project participants) awareness for ethical and societal aspects of their research activities. The Ethical Label aims to continue these efforts by supporting researchers to clarify the potential ethical, societal, and scientific impact of their activities. Moreover, filling the Ethical Label can constitute a useful internal project training on developing a critical thinking in ethics in science and in science-society interactions. The Ethical provides information about the ethical, social and environmental implications and impact of a deliverable or other project results, thereby adding value to the usual technical-scientific focused description of any project outcome. The Ethical Label represents a schematic and simplified information, in tabular form, as a support of the introductory part of every outcome of the project, which orients the end-user to better identify concepts and aspects that describe the function of that product, with particular reference to its impact on the scientific community, society and the environment.