UT committees start work on ethical and moral guidance in collaborations

The Strategic Committee on institutional collaboration, Ethics and Moral Dilemmas (SCEMD) focuses on developing a coherent framework for dealing with ethical issues in collaborations. This includes processes, guidelines, and shared principles that help the university navigate complex moral and ethical dilemmas in a consistent and transparent way.

The Advisory Committee on Moral Dilemmas (ACMD) acts as the operational advisory body. The ACMD works along the lines of the framework developed by the SCEMD and provides case-specific advice on collaborations where ethical or moral questions may arise.

In general, requests for advice can be submitted by UT staff, Faculty Boards, or university bodies such as ethics committees, knowledge security, legal advisor, when a proposed institutional collaboration may be sensitive or raise a moral dilemma, for example, in relation to defense and national security, human rights, disruptive technologies, fossil fuels, or broader geopolitical contexts.

Upon receiving a request, the ACMD reviews the case, may consult relevant expertise, and, where needed, engages with the applicant for clarification. The committee then formulates a reasoned advice on whether and under what conditions a collaboration can proceed. This advice is shared with the applicant and relevant university bodies, including the Faculty Board and the Executive Board, to support informed decision-making, and the SCEMD and Knowledge Security for learning purposes.

In the coming months, both committees will further develop the framework and supporting guidance. In the meantime, the ACMD is already available for consultation via acmd@utwente.nl.

As part of this development, the assessment of collaborations related to the fossil industry has been integrated into this broader approach. The ACMD will take over these assessments, replacing the existing Committee Collaboration with Fossil Industry (CCFI), which will be discontinued.

Since 1 April, requests for advice on collaborations involving the fossil industry can be submitted to the ACMD.

Domain-specific ethics committees and the University-Wide Ethics Committee (UWEC) will continue to carry out independent ethics reviews of research in accordance with the UT Research Ethics Policy.