Past projects

An Open Beginning: Preparing kindergartens for Receiving Children with Migration or Refugee Background and Supporting the Creation of a Culturally and Religiously Diverse and Tolerant Study Environment

Project duration: 01.04.2017 - 31.12.2018
Financing: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (arengukoostöö ja humanitaarabi vahenditest) and the Embassy of the United States of America in Estonia.
Project manager: Estonian Refugee Council (Ingi Mihkelsoo)

The project aims to support Estonian kindergartens in accepting children with migration background and supporting teachers in creating multicultural and tolerant classrooms.

Project „An Open Beginning: Preparing kindergartens for Receiving Children with Migration or Refugee Background and Supporting the Creation of a Culturally and Religiously Diverse and Tolerant Study Environment“ by Estonian Refugee Council and University of Tartu Centre for Ethics is called in action to support kindergartens and their teaching personnel. Contrary to schools, government institutions have little to no knowledge about the number and situation of children with migration background in Estonian kindergartens. Therefore, local governments and kindergartens have to fend for themselves. During the year 2016, the U.S. embassy funded a support project for schools, which inspired many kindergartens to ask for similar support in accepting migration background and refugee children. Given project is in continuance with U.S. embassy funded project to support schools and teachers in tackling topics on migration and accepting refugee children into Estonian schools and follows suit with proving all stakeholders with best expertise in Estonia during trainings and creating practical tools for kindergarten classrooms.

These goals are achieved by a variety of measures:
(1) bringing together roundtable of experts who will advise on project programme and methods,
(2) developing a learning network of 7 kindergartens across Estonia,
(3) conducting 7 field-visits to kindergartens in Estonia,
(4) conducting study-visit to kindergartens in Finland,
(5) developing and implementing methodological materials, such as handbooks and learning videos, for kindergarten teachers,
(6) creating conferences about multicultural kindergartens,
(7) making 4-day study-cycles both in Tartu and Tallinn for kindergarten teachers.

All proposed actions will be taking place from April 2017 to December 2018.

This project is being managed by the Estonian Refugee Council and the University of Tartu Centre for Ethics in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research and Innove foundation.

Raising teachers’ and youth workers’ competences regarding topics of migration and refugees; encouraging the youth to discuss migration issues

Project duration: 01.01.2017-31.12.2017
Financing: Council of the Gambling Tax
Project manager: Estonian Refugee Council (Ingi Mihkelsoo)

The main target groups of this project are the teachers, directors of schools, recreation leaders, school psychologists and pedagogues, juvenile workers and other specialists who are related to the youth. In addition to the above, the direct beneficiary of this program include children who study in primary schools and secondary schools.

The main aims of this project are:

(a) to empower Estonian educationalists in handling the topics of migration and refugees as well as in supporting the educational path of the children with migration background;

(b) provide children with interesting and juvenile opportunities that enable them to discuss and contemplate on the topics of migration and refugees;

This project is the continuation for the project ´The preparation of Estonian schools in handling the topics of refugees and supporting the educational path of refugees’ in 2016, which was funded by the Embassy of the United States of America in Estonia.

Please see the annex in here

This project is being managed by the Estonian Refugee Council and the University of Tartu Centre for Ethics in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research, and it is being funded by Council of the Gambling Tax.

Horisont 2020 project „PRINTEGER: Promoting Integrity as an Integral Dimension of Excellence in Research“

Project duration: September 2015 – August 2018

Project coordinator: Stichting Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen, the Netherlands

Tools and analyses

Critical analysis of relativism and pluralism regarding truth and knowledge, norms and values

Duration: 01.01.2008 - 31.12.2013
Budget: 1 494 000 EEK (for year 2009)
Financing program: Target Financed theme
Project leader: prof. Margit Sutrop

The concept of relativism includes an array of positions unified by the view that certain important aspects of thought, experience, judgment and reality are relative. Pluralism signifies a perspective that certain things (concepts, values, norms, discourses, views) exist in plurality. The project will critically analyze various forms of relativism and pluralism (moral, political, epistemic, conceptual) and their implications. The objective is to establish that denying monism—a view that there exists only one acceptable conceptual scheme or value system—does not necessarily lead us to relativism. A lot of inconsistency and incoherence exists within relativism. A relativist position might lead to a denial of objectivity, knowledge, communication and the possibility of progress in thinking, language, science, morality, politics etc. Critical analysis of relativism will indicate whether pluralism could suffice as an alternative - while opposing monism it can be combined with objectivism.

Children as Change Agents for Science in Society (SiSCatalyst)

Financing: 7th framework programme project
Budget: 130 968 EUR
Grant holder: professor Margit Sutrop
Project duaration: 01.01.2011–31.12.2014
Project's website

In January 2011, the 7th framework programme project “Children as Change Agents for Science in Society” began. The project is coordinated by Tricia Jenkins, MBE from the University of Liverpool in the UK. The project seeks to identify how children can be change agents in the relationship between science and society, and from this starting point, to indicate how they can be catalysts in the long-term solutions to the great social challenges of their future. The focus will be on capable children who are currently least likely to pursue the study of science at the post secondary level.

The Centre for Ethics manages an ethics-centred work package, the main task of which is to evaluate and consider the ethical aspects of the project, to ensure and improve the overall quality of the project, and to develop guidelines which stress the ethical aspects of situations involving children.

COST projekt „Disaster bioethics: addressing ethical issues triggered by disasters“

COST projekt „Bio-objects and their boundaries. Governing matters at the intersection of society, politics and science“

Methodological tool “Values Game for Doctors” development

Funders: The Council Of Gambling Tax, Centre for Ethis, Univeristy of Tartu Faculty of Medicine.
Project end: December 2013.
Budget: 9760.- EUR.
Grant holder: prof. Margit Sutrop.

The aim of the project is to create “Values Game for Doctors” - a methodological tool that can be used in the training of doctors and nurses, and in the training on medical ethics.

The values game is a serious and interactive tool for a successful dialogue. It develops the players’ self-reflection, ability to discuss and reason, and it motivates for cooperation and consensus even in case of different opinions.

The purpose of the game is to make one think about the role and responsibility of doctors and other medical workers, find out the values that form the basis of the health care system and bring these values from the abstract level to the context of the every day life of doctors and nurses. The game aims to enliven the dialogue about different behavior models and value conflicts between doctors and other medical workers. The “Values Game for Doctors” offers situations on different topics, for instance, the relations between medical workers and patients, relations with the family of the patient, relations with the colleagues, the board of the medical institution and media.

The Centre for Ethics leads the project in cooperation with Inscape OÜ who is responsible for the format and methodology of the game. In 2010, the Centre for Ethics and Inscape OÜ created “Values Game for Teachers” which is successfully used in teacher training and in schools.

In order to create the content for the “Values Game for Doctors”, a working group was established. The working group consists of the representatives of the Centre for Ethics, Inscape OÜ, Estonian Council on Bioethics, Ethics Committee of the Tartu University Hospital, Ethics Review Committee on Human Research of the University of Tartu, Estonian Doctors’ Union, Estonian Nurses’ Union, Estonian Hospitals’ Association and Estonian Medical Students’ Association.

Research project “Qualitative research on feedback of relevant random findings gathered from the genetic material of various studies”

Personal research grant „The Unity of Normative Discourse: Between Reasons and Responsibility“

Primary researcher: Fransesco Orsi
Secondary reaearcher: Marek Volt
Duration: 01.01.2013 – 31.12.2016

The aim of this project is to understand in what sense and to what extent judgments of good and bad, right and wrong, obligation and prohibition form a uniformed idea and discourse category (which could be called ‘normative’). The research focuses on two main questions:

1) is there common ground to the different types of normative judgments (e.g. judgments concerning values and obligation, moral and aesthetic judgments)?
2) do moral decisions which arise from radically different moral perspectives have a fundamental common element? The first question explores the idea that different kinds of normative judgments could be connected to appropriate attitudes or attitude reasoning concepts.

The second question explores the idea that moral decisions are joined by peculiar responsibility which the actor takes when decisions are formed

Horisont 2020 project „ACCOMPLISSH – Accelerate CO-creation by setting up a Multi-actor Platform for Impact from Social Sciences and Humanities“

Duration: 2016–2019

Coordinator: University of Groningen, the Netherlands

ACCOMPLISSH’s aim is to come up with an innovative valorisation concept together with 14 universities from 12 countries within three years. The concept is to be up-scaled on a European level. Analyzing co-creation processes in theory as well as in practice will develop the concept. Knowledge institutions, companies, governmental institutions and civil society, the so-called “quadruple helix”, will take part in the whole process. We will not only be looking at elements that make co-creation and valorisation possible, but we will also identify barriers that prevent these particular processes.

We will examine how results from a Social Sciences and Humanities focal point, will largely effect companies, governmental institutions and civil society. Moreover we will examine the research concept: to what degree can we valorise the research question by not only looking at the scientific point of view but also looking at societal challenges. Identifying end users at an early stage is an important factor. Another key element is the role of the support staff within the universities. They can act as an intermediate between scientific institutions and society.

National Centre for Information, Documentation and Communication of Ethics

To raise interest and awareness of ethical issues and to promote ethical behavior, the Centre for Ethics is currently establishing the national information centre on ethics-related documentation, information and communication.

The main objective of the national centre is to gather together and offer information on practical ethics (case studies, study materials, codes of conduct, regulations, ethics committees, bibliographies, experts, etc.) to all interested persons and organizations. Information is gathered and presented about normative ethics, public ethics, medical ethics, ethics of sexuality, business ethics, law ethics, ethics in science, environmental ethics, cyberethics, media ethics, ethics and religions, ethics in advertising and ethics of pedagogy.

Main target groups include people who are dealing with these subject matters daily: doctors, patients, ethics committee members, scientists, graduate and undergraduate students, lawyers, politicians, civil servants, journalists, business persons, non-governmental organizations, pupils, teachers, etc.

An expert opinion about the handling of personal data connected to the digital case history in the context of bioethics and medical ethics

Members of the ethics workgroup: professor Margit Sutrop (co-ordinaator), professor Arvo Tikk, professor Raul-Allan Kiivet, professor Raul Talvik, professor Tiina Talvik, professor Mati Rahu, professor Jaan Ginter, associate professor Andres Soosaar, Mart Einasto ja Merje Tikk.

In the project "An expert opinion about the handling of personal data connected to the digital case history in the context of bioethics and medical ethics" the work group will:

Analyze the legislation concerning the handling of personal data connected to the digital case history.
Compile an overview of the ethical issues related to the handling of personal data connected to the digital case history in the context of bioethics and medical ethics and proposes a list of possible solutions.
Develop guidelines for good practice on informing the patients about collecting and using personal data in the digital case history system. This will be completed in cooperation with Estonian Association of Medical Doctors, Estonian Association of Nurses and Estonian Hospitals Association.
Presents an opinion as well as ideas for improvement on the code of ethics of Estonian medical doctors in relation to new health-care stations generated by digital case history.

Preparations for the national value development program

Contracted by the Ministry of Education and Research
Duration: until 31.12.2008
Budget: 2 300 000.- EEK

The preparation of the national program "Value developmentin Estonian Society 2009-2013"will becarried outvia various activities (a set of Night University radio shows, a survey of value development related research, development of Ethics web portal, organizing different events and publishing value development related materials).

Expected results:

A set of Night University radio shows in cooperation with Eesti Raadiohas beenprepared;
New materialshave beenadded to Ethics web portal;
Thesurvey of value development related research and materialshasbeencompleted;
Three value development related conferences and one two-day seminarhave beenorganized;
Value development related materialshave beenpublished;
Two value development related surveyshave beencompleted;
Expert commission has drafted the text for the national program "Value developmentin Estonian Society 2009-2013".

Õpetajate väärtuskasvatuse alase pädevuse arendamine õpetajakoolituses

Project's results
Duration: 01.10.2009-01.10.2011
Budget: 400 000 EEK
Financing program: EDUKO
Grant holder: prof. Margit Sutrop

Käesoleva projekti eesmärgiks on selgitada välja, mida tuleks teha, et Eesti ülikoolide õpetajakoolituse lõpetajad suudaksid ja tahaksid praktikas tõhusalt täita õpetajatele pandavaid väärtuskasvatuse alaseid ülesandeid. Kontseptuaalne väärtusalane arendustöö 2010/2011 õppeaastal rakenduva riikliku üldhariduskoolide õppekavaga toob endaga kaasa uued ootused õpetajakoolituse suhtes, mis peaks pakkuma vastavate kompetentside omandamist.

Lähtuvalt senisest tööst ainekavadega (HTM-i ja TÜ leping 28.11.2008-31.05.2009 - number 10.1-8.1/1644) peame vajalikuks uurida, kas ja mil määral tagavad praegused õpetajakoolituse õppekavad selle, et õpetajakoolituse lõpetajad:
1) oskavad käsitleda õppeainete sisus avalduvaid väärtusi kui tunnetus- ja arutlusobjekte (nt keskkond bioloogias, õiglus ajaloos jne);
2) valdavad väärtuskasvatuse erinevaid metoodikaid, mis võimaldavad kujundada positiivsetel väärtustel põhinevaid sisseharjutatud käitumiskalduvusi (nt ausus, töökus, täpsus jne);
3) toimivad reflekteerivate praktikutena ning suudavad oma kutsealast tegevust ja selle väärtuskasvatuslikku dimensiooni teadvustada ja mõtestada.

Töö toimub kolmes etapis: 1) õpetajakoolituse õppekavade analüüs; 2) õpetajakoolituse üliõpilaste väärtuskasvatuse alase pädevuse testimine koolipraktika käigus; 3) eelnevatest etappidest saadud andmete alusel ettepanekute kujundamine õppekavaarenduseks.

Uuringu läbiviimiseks on TÜ eetikakeskuse juurde moodustatud interdistsiplinaarne, teaduskondade- ja ülikoolidevaheline uurimisrühm. Projekti põhitäitjad on Margit Sutrop (TÜ praktilise filosoofia professor, filosoofia ja semiootika instituudi juhataja, eetikakeskuse juhataja, PhD), Halliki Harro-Loit (TÜ ajakirjanduse ja kommunikatsiooni instituudi dotsent, ajakirjanduse ja kommunikatsiooni instituudi juhataja, PhD), Jüri Ginter (TÜ haridusteaduskonna pedagoogika osakonna koolikorralduse lektor, haridusteaduskonna prodekaan, filosoofiakandidaat), Tiiu Kuurme (TLÜ kasvatusteaduste instituudi kasvatusteaduste osakonna dotsent, õppekava juht, PhD), Olga Schihalejev (TÜ usuteaduskonna religioonipedagoogika assistent, Dr).

Projekti väljundid

Õpetajakoolituse õppekavade analüüsi raport (avalikustatud eetikaveebis).
Kontseptsioon tuvastatud puudujääkide likvideerimiseks (sh visioon vajalikest õppeainetest ja tugimaterjalidest, soovitavatest kriteeriumitest õppeprotsessi korraldamisel) ja ettepanekud õpetajakoolituse täiustamiseks.
Metoodikad ja juhendid koolipraktikaks, sh väärtuskasvatuse portfoolio koostamiseks.
Praktika portfooliod, mis sisaldavad konkreetseid juhtumeid väärtuskasvatuse vallast, metoodikate rakendamiskatsete kirjeldusi ja koolikeskkonna analüüsi väärtuskasvatuse osas.

Konkreetsete materjalide kõrval tuleb aga vähemalt sama olulisena esile tõsta ka taotletavat inimressursi arengut kahel tasandil. Ühest küljest on projekt läbi õppekava arendamise suunatud selliste tulevaste õpetajate koolitamisele, kes suudavad ja tahavad ellu viia neile pandud väärtuskasvatusalaseid lootusi ning kujunevad tulevikus ise sellisteks praktika juhendajateks, kes koolipraktika käigus oskavad suunata noori õpetajaid väärtuste märkamisele, reflekteerimisele ja kujundamisele. Teisalt koolitatakse projekti tegevuste kaudu kraadiõppureid, kes on saanud väärtusliku rakendusliku uurimise kogemuse ning saavad omandatud teadmisi, oskusi ja empiirilist materjali kasutada oma edasises teadustöös.

OpEnGenE – Opening Estonian Genome Project for European Research Area

Nordic Network for Philosophy of Medicine and Medical Ethics

Duration: 01.01.2009 - 31.12.2011
Project's website
Estonian participant: University of Tartu
Participating parties: Linköping University Karolinska Institute
University of Copenhagen
University of Helsinki
University of Oslo
University of Iceland
Vilnius University

Philosophy of medicine, including medical ethics, is a subject that has developed greatly in the international arena during the last three decades. With regard to the Nordic and Baltic countries research is pursued on a great number of topics, such asbasic medical concepts, priorities in medical care and the care of the elderly. There are similarities but also great differences between the Nordic and Baltic centres with regard to research and research education in philosophy of medicine. The conditions for doing research in the subject also vary. The subject has no natural place in the university system. It appears in either the philosophical, the medical or the theological faculty. It recruits researchers from different basic disciplines, not only from philosophy but also from theology, medicine and jurisprudence. This means that the focus in research can differ greatly between different scholars and different centres. The time is ripe for creating a network of scholars in the Nordic and Baltic countries in order to define and strengthen the identity of the subject in our countries.

The aim of this planned network is to establish the identity of philosophy of medicine in the Nordic/Baltic countries by considering both institutional and academic conditions for research and the education of researchers. We will encourage the initiation of new joint research projects and by making the subject more visible we hope to increase the number of doctoral students. Our intention is that the network shall after the three year period be converted into a permanent Nordic/Baltic society for philosophy of medicine.

Normativity: a critical study of its philosophical foundations, historical sources, and forms of manifestation

Grant holder: prof. Margit Sutrop
Duration of the project 2003-2007

The main task of the project is to provide historical origin and ways of manifestation of normativity in thinking, science and society for a complex study of the philosophical foundations. The critical verification and analysis of a widely shared view that such concepts as knowledge, truth, meaning, virtue, justice, good and right have a normative dimension, is planned. A still open question, to be addressed by the project, is: where does this normativity arise from? The starting point of the research is a philosophical-anthropological hypothesis that the sources of normative thinking and acting are in human nature. We engage in normative thinking because we are reflective creatures who have the capacity to reflect on our beliefs and desires, and ask, what one should do and how one should live. The project has three aims: firstly, it aims to find out the historical sources of normativity, secondly, to understand the nature of normative thinking and thirdly, to analyse its different forms of manifestation (science, morality, religion, politics, law, and art) both in history and in modern times.

The current projectdeals with normativity in three different fields:

normativity of historical and contemporary thinking (research group at the Chair for History of Philosophy led by prof. Ülo Matjus);
normativity in science and scientific knowledge (research group at the Chair for the Philosophy of Science led by prof. Rein Vihalemm);
normativity in morality, politics, religion, law, and art (research group at the Chair for Practical Philosophy led by prof. Margit Sutrop).

Feasibility study for an advanced systematic documentation, information and communication tool in the field of ethical issues in science, research and technology

FASTER is a European Union 6th Framework programme project. There are 13 participants (universities, centres etc) involved and it will be carried out until October, 2004.

The project aims to identify and evaluate criteria necessary to create an infrastructure for a network of networks for an advanced systematic documentation, information and communication tool in the field of ethical issues in science and research compiled on the basis of evaluating various scenarios and models.

An adequate culture for ethical and legal judgment formation in science, research, technologies and their applications can only be developed if those involved have access to reliable, comprehensive and up-to-date information and adequate communication. Therefore there is a demand for an infrastructure to create a systematic documentation, information and communication tool in the field of ethical issues in science, research and technology including multilingual access to information e.g. on topical debates, legislation, codes of conduct and contested issues taking place in the different European countries. The foundations for such a system have already been laid in a number of projects funded by the 5th FP EU (esp. EURETHNET).

The feasibility study will have to evaluate a new type of infrastructure which covers not only the field of bioethics but the whole range of ethical issues in research and technology in Europe. More specifically, the feasibility study will analyse the various areas concerned and will identify the potential users and their specific needs including the NAS.

The new infrastructure would cover the following areas:
Life sciences (medicine, health care, biotech)
Food and agriculture
Environmental research
(new) technologies
Data processing and protection (IT)
Science and research
Business

The project is divided into 6 workpackages:

1. Content and areas of Ethics in Research, Science and Technology
2. Users and Needs and Value-Added Information Products and Services
3. Legal basis and funding requirements
4. Network structure and design
5. Electronic data management and communication
6. Setting up scenarios

The task of the Centre for Ethics of the University of Tartu together with the Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law of Leuven University is to identify the users of the existing networks in the area of ethics, the possible users of the network of networks, to identify their needs, to cluster the similar user profiles and needs profiles and to identify the relations between (clusters of) user profiles and (clusters of) needs profiles (Work Package 2).

The Ethics of Genetic and Medical Information

http://www.hi.is/~elsagen/norfa/
Duration: 2002-2004
Continued: 2005-2006
The project is carried out in cooperation with Iceland, Sweden and Finland.

Population-based medical and genetic databases are present in various stages of construction in Iceland, Sweden, Estonia and the U.K., and in recent years Finland has been the site of some controversial population-based genetic research. The network will study ethical and legal problems concerning genetic and medical information with a specific focus on issues raised by population-based databases containing medical and genetic data. The network will be concerned with issues raised by the databases themselves, as well as research connected to such databases and potential applications.

The network will pull together resources and expertise of ethicists and law researchers in Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Estonia and the U.K. to deal with the many ethical and legal problems arising in this context. The research groups consist primarily of research students and young researchers, supported by established researchers within the field.

In the first year, the emphasis will be put on bringing researchers together at two workshops and a research training seminar. In the subsequent years, there will be an increasing emphasis on exchange of students and faculty, in particular research students’ visits, in addition to one research training seminar in the second year and a conference in the third year.

Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects of Human Genetic Databases. A European Comparison

http://www.elsagen.net
ELSAGEN is an interdisciplinary project which is carried out in cooperation with scientists and researchers from Iceland, United Kingdom, Sweden and Estonia. Estonian coordinator of the project is Prof. Margit Sutrop. The following researchers are participating in the project: Prof. Wolfgang Drechsler, Prof. Toivo Maimets, Prof. Jaan Sootak, Prof. Rainer Kattel, Tiiu Hallap, Kadri Simm, Ants Nõmper, Kirsti Jõesalu, Külliki Korts, Piia Tammpuu, Ragne Kõuts, Riivo Anton. The three-year longproject began in January 2002.

The ELSAGEN project has two general objectives:

1. Ethical, legal and social studies of genetic databases: to anticipate and address questions raised by recent developments in genetics research by providing knowledge of ethical, legal and social aspects of population-based human genetic databases.

2. Consultation on public views of privacy: to consult citizens by providing knowledge of public views of privacy and related moral values in the context of human genetic databases.

To meet the first objective, we have planned a number of studies that fall into four categories: Ethical, legal, social and what could be called “fundamental” issues.

The second objective is to provide knowledge about public views of privacy in the context of human genetic databases, people’s trust of public and commercial organisations with regard to collection and storage of personal data, and to what extent these views and attitudes vary between the four countries. A combined quantitative and qualitative sociological study will be conducted in the four countries and the results willbe analysed by bioethicists.

Some results of the project

In April 22, 2003 the research team of the Centre for Ethics presented the Elsagen project and the first results in the National Library in Tallinn. The presentation ofRiivo Anton is available in English. (public administration) The Economic Benefits of the Estonian Genome project: Myth or Reality?

Handbook of Codes of Conduct

To draw attention to the ethical behavior and responsibilities within the Estonian society, the Centre for Ethics is currently elaborating and composing the handbook on the codes of conduct. “The Handbook of Codes of Conduct” is aimed towards non-governmental organizations, andpublic and private sector organizations in order to help them compose their own codes of conduct.

More Women into Politics

Basic texts in environmental ethics

Evaluation of social impacts of the new Family Law Act

One of the objectives of the new Family Law Act is social progress. This is natural and expected. At the same time every update in legislation will bring up changes in attitudes, values and human behavior and therefore will direct social developments. What might be the developments in human behavior and in Estonian society in general after the adoption of the new Family Law Act - whether those changes accord with the general will of the society and with the objectives of the state is unclear. What kind of ethical issues might the new law bring up, what kind of individual and collective value judgements does it influence and how compatible will the new law be with more general ethical positions?

We acknowledge that the issue falls partly in the competence of the social scientists but we think that the ethical impacts of the new law should also be evaluated. We plan to base our evaluation on the existing documents (the current law, the new law draft, etc.), analyze existing data on the issue and also gather new data.

Objectives:

1. Analyze the impact from the gender aspect taking into account the different socio-economic status men and women have, and look into the possible changes in power relations.

2. Analyze the impact on children - how does the new law take into account the interest of the children considering the laws already in effect.

3. Analyze the impact on the marriage's fiscal arrangements. We will take a look at past court cases involving property disputes and evaluate what kind of new cases might arise.

4. Analyze the ethical implications. How is social justice guaranteed with the new law: will men and women be treated equally, will the rights of children be protected. What kind of ethical issues might arise with the new law and how will it influence the ethical principles of the Estonian society in general?

We will include experts from the Estonian Union for Child Welfare, Estonian Union of Parents, Gender Equality Office of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Estonian Women`s Associations Roundtable.

The ethical aspects of genetic databases and new technologies: individual versus common values and goods

Duration: 2005–2008
Grant holder: prof Margit Sutrop

The objective of the project is to explore the philosophical-ethical questions that have emerged alongside the speedy developments in science and the new technologies. The focus is foremost on the ethical aspects of genetic databases and the related, the so-called new technologies (pharmacogenetics, gene technology etc). The project is divided into three research fields:

Analysis of risks related to development of science and new technologies and the elucidation and justification of the values that are seen as being threatened by these risks. Methodologically the history of ideas and the systematic approaches are applied.
Analysis of values prevalent in bioethics. The aim is to disclose the practices of justification for values like privacy, autonomy, justice and solidarity. In relation to genetic databases, the dilemmas arising from the conflict between liberal individualism and communitarianism that stresses the common good (solidarity versus privacy, contradictory principles of justice, altruistic versus egoistic participation motivation) will be examined.
Sociological research „Estonian attitudes towards science and technological developments - perceived risks and values“ and the philosophical analysis of the results. Research will focus on questions like which values prevail in relation to technological development? What do the Estonians mean under privacy, do people feel threatened as the amount of genetic information is growing? How are privacy and solidarity, individual and common interests balanced? The purpose of the sociological study is to provide supporting data for the theoretical analysis of the other fields of the research project.

Transdisciplinary approach to the Emerging CHallenges of NOvel technologies: Lifeworld and Imaginaries in Foresight and Ethics

Duration: January 2009 – September 2011
Finance program: Seventh Framework Programme
Coordinator: University of Bergen.
Estonian participant: prof. Margit Sutrop (University of Tartu Centre for Ethics)
Partners: Univ. Autonoma de Barcelona;
Cardiff University;
Universite de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines;
University of Copenhagen;
Lancaster University;
European Commission - Joint Research Centre.

The TECHNOLIFE project will approach the SiS 5.1.1.2 call by developing new ethical frameworks to address ethical concerns of Europeans in relation to three technological fields: ICTs, Geographical Imaging Systems and converging technologies to enhance the human body. It will supply valuable insights on how issues of ethical concern to groups, publics and citizens can be considered in EC policy in the three technological fields.

We propose a novel approach to the research on ethical frameworks, using the concept of imagined communities as a way of getting to ethical concerns in ways that do not unduly suppress their complexity, heterogeneity and communicatively challenging character. The emphasis on information, communication and perception enhancing technologies is appropriate since these are strong promoters in the ongoing restructuring of social groups and imaginaries that go to make up the future Europe.

They also transform the very meaning of human sociability, identity, communication and community in ways that pose great challenges to ethical theory and ethics for policy. Dominant imaginaries, ethical concerns and broad technological developments will be described deploying insights from a number of disciplines. These will be fed into an online database where they will be used for deliberation by a number of invited participants from concerned groups and publics. The results of the process will be analysed and interpreted to identify central imaginaries and their related arguments and viewpoints among the relevant groups.

The qualitative data will then be used to:

1) develop new ethical frameworks fitted to the social and analytic level of imagined communities;

2) provide guidelines for the EC on policy in the three technological fields;

3) establish a web portal that can be used for further deliberation on the three fields, and

4) supply documentation on the overall process to be used for the development of ethical frameworks in other technological fields.

Rising pan-European and International Awareness of Biometrics and Security Ethics (RISE)

Duration: 2009-2011
Budget: 48 800 EUR
Finance program: Seventh Framework Programme
Coordinator: Centre for Science, Society and Citizenship (Italy).
Estonian participant: University of Tartu Centre for Ethics.
Partners: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; Biometric Research Centre (China);
Center for Policy on emerging technologies (USA),
Cesagen (UK),
Global Security Intelligence (USA),
European Biometric Forum (Ireland),
Nasscom-DSCI (India),
Natrional Cash Register Company (UK),

Rising pan-European and International Awareness of Biometrics and Security Ethics (RISE) is a 25 month CSA, which aims to promote pan-European and International Awareness on Ethical Aspects of Biometrics and Security Technologies. In particular the project aims to, to deepen, enlarge, and ensure continuity to transnational (European) and international dialogue already instigated by the international conferences on ethics and biometrics organized by the EC DG Research and the US DHS Privacy Office respectively in Brussels and Washington DC in 2005 and 2006.

RISE's framing point is the new political landscape created by the Treaty of Lisbon of the European Union. The EU is now on the verge of multifaceted reform of its decision-making rules for security, which may have deep ethical and political implications. RISE will address these issues.The project is based on three main ideas: dialogue must be global, policy must be ethically informed and conversation must me ongoing.

Ethics depository: collecting and distributing science- and bioethics information in Estonia and internationally

ETHICSWEB: Interconnected European Information and documentation system for ethics and science: European Ethics Documentation Centre

Duration: 01.06.2008-28.02.2011
Budget: 35 740.- EUR
Finance program: Seventh Framework Programme
Coordinator: German Reference Centre for Ethics in the Life Sciences
Estonian participant: Centre for Ethics (CEUT), Estonia, University of Tartu
Project website: www.ethicsweb.org

Partners: Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), Italy;
Regional Bioethics Information Centre (RBIC), Lithuania, University of Vilnius;
Abteilung Ethik und Geschichte der Medizin und Informations- und Dokumentationsstelle Ethik in der Medizin (IDEM) (UMG-GOE), Germany, University Medical Centre Göttingen, University of Göttingen;
Institute for Biomedical Informatics (IBMI), Slovenia, University of Ljubljana;
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Scientifique (INSERM), France;
Centre for Applied Ethics (CAE), Romania, University of Bucharest;
Epson Foundation Institute of Technoethics (FunEPSON), Spain;
Cardiff Centre for Ethics, Law and Society (CCELS), United Kingdom, University of Wales;
Interdepartmental Centre for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW), Germany, University of Tübingen;
Ethics Institute (UU-EI), The Netherlands, University of Utrecht;
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), France;
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Italy;
Karolinska Institutet (KIB), Sweden, University of Stockholm;
Centre for Ethics and Law (CEL), Denmark;
Department of Health Care Studies (CAPHRI), The Netherlands, University of Maastricht

It is the overall aim of ETHICSWEB to stimulate an enhanced democratic debate on ethical issues of science and to promote a more engaged and informed public. Therefore, existing information and documentation systems will be connected to allow and ensure an easy access to comprehensive information on science and ethics. At the same time sophisticated tools, both technical and semantic, will be applied or – if necessary developed – to make the huge amount of information available for all parties involved. ETHICSWEB will be a common, decentralized European access point for information that is made available in different European member states, by various regional providers and centres as well as by international organizations.

ETHICSWEB strives for the documentation of different sources which include information on ethics and science like

literature;
laws, regulations and guidelines;
training materials and training programmes;
academic exchange programmes;
centres, projects and experts;
events and news (such as conferences, calls for papers and new initiatives)

The Nordic Model of Democracy: Diffusion, Competition, Europeanisation

Duration: 2008 - 2011
Budget: 425 000 EUR
Financing program: Nordic Spaces
Project leader: Nicholas Aylott
Estonian participant: dr. Kadri Simm (Centre for Ethics, University of Tartu)

Our proposed project concerns the Nordic "model" of democracy – defined in terms of both institutional patterns and the values with which political discourse is laden – and its relation to the Baltic states. Our interest is in whether elements of the model have diffused into political institutions and processes in these recently democratised Baltic neighbours; or, alternatively, whether the process of Europeanisation has offered competition to the Nordic template; or, indeed, whether either source of change has had much impact. Specifically, we focus on (1) constitutional structures, (2) mechanisms of parliamentary control and scrutiny, (3) political parties and (4) the rhetorical parameters of political debate. Should such diffusion have occurred, the prospect of redefining the Nordic model of democracy to include the Baltic states – and perhaps, given the importance of democracy in Nordic identity, even of redefining the traditional boundaries of the region – would be raised.

New ethical frameworks for genome banks and e-health databases

Duration: 01.04.2008. - 31.12.2010.
Budget: 718 200 EEK
Financing program: EEA financing
Project leader: prof. Margit Sutrop

Generally, medical ethics, and more recently bioethics, have largely in the West been guided by values of liberal individualism thus stressing every person's voluntary decision-making capacity as the supreme value in research and medical practice. Both traditional medical ethics and bioethics promised to pay the highest respect to the autonomy, privacy and equality of each person. However, the developments in genetics and the initiatives to set up population based genetic databases during the last decades of the 20th century increasingly questioned the applicability or rather the sufficiency of the individual-centred value discourse as the sole ethical framework of guidance in these areas.

Challenges raised by genetics and both its actual and potential applications pointed towards the relevance of other values, of more communal and collective type, in guiding our moral reasoning in topics as diverse as cloning, genetic testing and pharmacogenetics. The same kind of movement took place in public health. The initiatives for improvign public health care, such as e-health projects (the aim of which is to make all medical records available in internet (such as Estonia's e-health project which will be launched in 2008) also showed the limits of the liberal individual-centred ethical frameworks and made clear that public interest may be a strong argument for moving towards more communal ethical decision-making.

In this project we will study this change in ethical frameworks. We will elaborate on the following questions: Is there a clear need for new ethical frameworks for genetic and health sector databases? What kind of ethics will be most suitable to meet the needs of science and new challenges of public health care? Do new advances in science and technology force medical ethics towards a more communitarian ethics or towards an ethics of care, going beyond that of individual autonomy and private interest. Will this new ethics be more suitable to encourage civic participation for the public welfare?

And will it be still able to respect the individual liberty and autonomy and protect the individuals against breaches of confidentiality and discrimination. With the help of the current grant we would like to promote cooperation between the researchers of the Centre for Ethics, University of Tartu, Centre for Ethics at the University of Iceland and Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities, University of Bergen, Norway.

Haunted narratives

In cooperation with the University of Bern, professor Gabriele Rippl and professor Philipp Schweighauser.

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