Projects

The Centre for Ethics is currently participating in multiple research projects, all listed below.

See also our Past projects and the Overview of research 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.

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.

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

Institutional research grant (IUT) „Philosophical analysis of disagreements“

Project duration: 01.01.2014 – 31.12.2019
Project leader: professor Margit Sutrop

The project is devoted to the study of disagreement as it arises in philosophy (e.g. logic, ontology), science, ethics and everyday life. The goal is to examine the nature of disagreement, to assess the implications that some seemingly dysfunctional disagreements may have for the objectivity of the topics on which they arise, and to develop strategies for the effective handling of disagreement. Accordingly, the diverse expertise of the UT Department of Philosophy will be deployed in an integrated assessment of the phenomenon from conceptual, metaphysical, and practical perspectives.

The project will produce:

conceptual clarity about the different types of disagreement and heuristics for diagnosing types of disagreement,
an elucidation of the metaphysical consequences implied by seemingly dysfunctional disagreements, and based on these outcomes,
an informed understanding of how some real-world disagreements are most effectively addressed.

Horizon 2020 project "PROmoting integrity in the use of RESearch results in evidence based policy: a focus on non-medical research"

Project duration: April/May 2018–2020.

Financing: 162 250 EUR

Project Coordinator: European Science Foundation

The overall goal of the PRO-RES project is to build a research ethics and integrity framework devised cooperatively with, and seen as acceptable by, the full range of relevant stakeholders and similar to Oviedo/Helsinki.

PRO-RES will draw upon previous foundational work funded by the EC, and other national and international agencies. While linking to existing foundational work, to be durable and sustainable the outcome must also be flexible enough to meet anticipated future needs. Consequently, the framework will be ‘staged’ starting with a simple introductory level of ‘basic principles’ leading to more explanatory/background levels and ultimately more complex aids for decision-making at later stages. This will ensure that no one is intimidated by difficulties in understanding the requirements of research ethics and integrity at the outset but, at the same time, the explanatory rationale behind the principles will be fully explored.

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