NIH Common Fund supports bioethics study, training
November / December 2011 | Volume 10, Issue 6
Photo by Hugue-Robert Marsan
Awards will provide additional resources to
scientists already supported under various
Fogarty programs that advance bioethics
issues or support training in the responsible
conduct of research.
All NIH-funded research involving human subjects must be conducted ethically and responsibly, yet there are few resources to advance bioethics studies or train scientists in these practices, particularly in low-resource countries.
To address this critical need, Fogarty recently issued 15 bioethics awards totaling nearly $755,000. See the full list of supplements to support bioethics-related research.
Much of the funding for the one-year supplements came from the NIH Common Fund, which supports strategic, high-impact, trans-NIH initiatives. The awards will provide additional resources to scientists already supported under various Fogarty programs that advance bioethics issues or support training in the responsible conduct of research. The grantee project sites are located in 23 developing countries across four continents.
Responsible conduct of research is the practice of scientific investigation with integrity and involves the awareness of established professional norms and ethical principles in the performance of all activities related to scientific research. Closely tied to RCR, bioethics explores ethical questions related to the life sciences, particularly regarding clinical research involving human subjects.
"These awards will help ensure clinical research conducted in international settings will adhere to ethical standards and protect human subjects," said Fogarty director Dr. Roger I. Glass. "By training scientists who will provide leadership in this field, we hope to have a lasting impact."
Five of the awards will increase educational opportunities on the conduct of responsible human subject research in low-resource countries. The remaining supplements will advance the study of ethical issues including research misconduct, plagiarism, ownership of data, conflicts of interest, observation of institutional review board decisions, guidelines for human participant protection, data management and the ethics of reporting research findings.
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