Past projects

Project duration: 2019–2021

Project manager: Ramon Llull University (Spain), from Estonia University of Tartu (Kadri Simm and Margit Sutrop) and Technopolis Group.

Financing: 76 580 EUR

The development of novel healthcare systems based on ICT requires greater collaboration between healthcare professionals and patients, as well as technological experts, in order to identify those data and information that provide value in the provision of health services, ruling out what is harmful, not validated or certified, untested, or which can be counterproductive for the patient in the management of their health, as well as protecting all fundamental human rights involved. There is a lack of technologic experts or engineers that know well the specific ethical implications of the healthcare applications, and many healthcare center managers are reluctant to all the changes that the technology integration implies.

In this context our partnership recognized that ICT entrepreneurs and future employees of healthcare sector need to increase their technological skills and ethical competencies for what concern how digitalization health innovation can be implemented in a humanistic manner. To face these needs, ATHIKA proposes to create an innovative approach for training and support, aimed at increasing the successful implementation of ICT innovations and initiatives for the European healthcare sector companies and ventures.

ATHIKA will conduct a set of advanced training programs, involving academia, public health entities, SMEs, startups, entrepreneurs and business consultants. The variety of partners profiles will provide a complete perspective of the sector and will enable the identification of the most urgent challenges. Partners will guide students during the trainings and a competition with students from different HEIs and backgrounds collaborating in the development of novel technical and ethical-compliant solutions. ATHIKA will combine the training and competition activities with a set of workshops and symposiums exchanging the project results, knowledge and lessons learnt between the partners, students and other health sector stakeholders all across Europe.

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Project partners from Centre for Ethics, University of Tartu: Mari-Liisa Parder (Research Fellow in Ethics), Anu Tammeleht (Methodologist-Trainer of Research Ethics). Principal investigator Kadri Simm (Associate Professor of Practical Philosophy), research staff from the Centre for Applied Social Sciences are Marvi Remmik, Siim Espenberg, Kadri Lees, Helen Urmann.

Duration: 17.01.2023−30.06.2023

Funding: Estonian Research Council, 28000 EUR

The main purpose of the study is to develop a methodology for mapping the research integrity (RI) and research ethics (RE) experience and practices of the Estonian research community, to test this methodology with a pilot study, and to present an analysis of the results of the study on the problems identified and their possible solutions both at the level of research organisations and systematically. The results of the study are important for further development of the field of RI & RE, for mapping needs and for planning trainings, monitoring and planning measures to improve organisational culture.

Compliance with the standards of RI & RE is a prerequisite for good science. Values such as honesty and transparency support common social norms, but RI & RE are also central to ensuring mutual trust between society and the research community. Ethical science supports the epistemical aims of science and shared norms are a prerequisite for successful scientific careers both in Estonia and internationally.

Proposal number: 101006430

Project duration: 01.03.2021–29.02.2024

Leading partner: Oslo Ülikool

Responsible person: Kadri Simm, Associate Professor of Practical Philosophy at the University of Tartu

Open science (OS) where research planning, processes, data and results are freely available to all stakeholders is the future of science. OS will make science more effective and more responsive to societal needs, and it will enable citizens to participate actively in all aspects of science as citizen scientists. OS does, however also raise new questions about research ethics, integrity and misconduct. We know that research misconduct and questionable research practices occur in our current scientific processes, and it is likely that similar or new forms of misconduct and questionable practices will emerge in OS. It is therefore important to identify and analyse the potential for misconduct in various areas of OS practice and in different scientific disciplines, and to identify and analyse current ethical, social and legal approaches to responding to questionable practices. It is only based on such an analysis that the European science system can effectively ensure that ethics and research integrity (ERI) becomes a structural component of Open Science.

ROSiE will provide this analysis and develop practical tools aimed at ensuring ERI in OS and citizen science (CS). This will be done by a strongly multi-disciplinary project group consisting of world-leading experts and organizations in OS, CS, and ERI.

Horizon 2020 project MEDIADELCOM „Critical Exploration of Media Related Risks and Opportunities for Deliberative Communication: Development Scenarios of the European Media Landscape“. Project coordinator from Estonia is University of Tartu Institute of Social Studies, principal investigator is Prof Halliki Harro-Loit.

Project partners from Centre for Ethics, University of Tartu: Mari-Liisa Parder, Research Fellow in Ethics

Duration: 2021–2024

Funding for the Centre for Ethics: 4500 EUR

A prerequisite for deliberative communication in a modern mediatized society is the ability of news media to provide society with truthful information and to create a forum for the deliberative public, thus helping to solve problems and helping to make decisions that are important to society. The current rise in popularity of far-right and populist forces, especially in the former socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia), as well as Brexit, shows that the common values and goals of the peoples of Europe are no longer self-evident. The digital revolution has added ways and means of transmitting information, changed people's media consumption, but also created the conditions for disseminating false information and manipulating the public and people. The rapidly changing media environment thus creates both new opportunities and new risks for the deliberative public.

MEDIADELCOM focuses on identifying and comprehensively analysing these opportunities and risks, and on modelling the corresponding development scenarios. Development models provide media policy makers with the tools to make informed decisions that create a favourable media environment for the deliberate public to support democratic values and practices.

Horizon 2020 project A4L_ACTIONS „Alliance for Life Sciences: From Strategies to Actions in Central and Eastern Europe“ . The coordinator of this project is Masarykova Univerzita Czechia. Principal Investigator from University of Tartu is Toivo Maimets; Faculty of Science and Technology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology.

Project partners from Centre for Ethics, University of Tartu: Mari-Liisa Parder, Research Fellow in Ethics

Duration: 2021–2024

Funding for the Centre for Ethics: 6975 EUR

Research and innovation (R&I) play a key role in tackling Europe's societal challenges, including ensuring the health and well-being of its citizens. Despite significant investment, disparities in research and innovation persist between countries. In the health sector, the R&I gap can have a profound impact on the health and quality of life of European citizens. Continuing the success of Alliance4Life, the EU-funded A4L_ACTIONS project aims to reduce the gap between health research and innovation by improving the culture, governance, recognition and innovation potential of health research institutions in lower performing countries in Central and Eastern Europe. This will help increase their attractiveness and pave the way for cooperation with developed European countries.

Project duration: 08.02.2022–31.01.2023

Project manager: Margit Sutrop (professor of practical philosophy) and Triin Paaver (administrative manager of the Centre for Ethics)

Funding: 40 762 EUR

The aim of the project is to develop the technical format of the values game for accomodating it for virtual environment. The game focuses on helping the players to reflect on the causes of moral disagreements and on the foundations of their own ethical positions. The development of all four dilemma-based values games has resulted in boardgame versions of the game. Unfortunately, the game is available only to a few in this format; due to the wide spread of COVID-19, it has not been possible to hold more in-person trainings and introduce the Centre for Ethics’ latest values game “Estonians’ 100 Choices” to a wider public. According to our knowledge there is no such similar values game in existence that focuses on the foundations of ethical reflections.

The high cost of a printed game, including a large amount of environmentally unsustainable material, has also proved to be a constraint on development, due to which the past potential commercial partners have refused to cooperate. The production of games is not the main activity of the Centre for Ethics. We would like work on providing additional scientific ground for the dilemma method and simultaneously with moving the game more virtual apply for funding from the European Commission. However, in order to obtain more extensive international funding, it is a prerequisite that existing games could be easily introduced to partners, for example through playing them together.

Project duration: October 2020–2023

Coordinator: Comillas Pontifical University

Financing: 175000 EUR

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The internet has become an integral part of children and young people’s lives. The increased time spent online is prompting questions about whether they are in control of their internet usage. The low level of awareness of cyber threats and their potential impact is a serious issue that translates into the proliferation of incidents due to human mistakes. 51% of EU citizens feel not at all or not well informed about cyber threats and 86% of Europeans believe that the risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime is rapidly increasing. On the other hand, Law enforcement has noted that more and more teenagers and young people are increasingly committing cybercrimes.

This is an international problem which has considerable cost implications; it is estimated that crimes in cyberspace will cost the global economy $445B annually. Understanding the behavioural and developmental aspects of cyber criminality is becoming increasingly important and underlies the necessity of a shift in focus from sanctions to deterrence and prevention.

As a research project, RAYUELA aims to bring together law enforcement agencies (LEAs), sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, legal experts, computer scientists and engineers, to develop novel methodologies that allow better understanding the factors affecting online behaviour related to new ways of cyber criminality, as well as promoting the potential of these young talents for cybersecurity and technologies.

RAYUELA’s main goal is to better understand the drivers and human factors affecting certain relevant ways of cybercriminality, as well as empower and educate young people (children and teenagers primarily) in the benefits, risks and threats intrinsically linked to the use of the Internet by playing, thus preventing and mitigating cybercriminal behaviour.

RAYUELA newsletters and events: https://www.rayuela-h2020.eu/newsletters/