Ethics

SyMeCo will comply fully with the Horizon Europe ethics policy, including the EU Charter of Fundamental  Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights and its supplementary protocols.

Applicants must complete an Ethics Issues Table as part of the application process. In addition, a Programme Ethical Review Committee (PERC) will be set up to review all proposals for which ethical issues are flagged.

SyMeCo fellows must comply with the host institution’s ethical guidelines and obtain formal ethical approval from the host Research Ethics Committee where ethical issues arise. This must be sought before commencing any project activity involving ethical issues. All host institutions have strict procedures for ethical approval that align with national ethical regulations and procedures. In addition, the fellows will be required to commit themselves to conducting their research to the highest standards of integrity, as outlined in the National Statement on Ensuring Research Integrity in Ireland.

SyMeCo will not fund projects:

• aiming at human cloning for reproductive purposes,
• intending to modify the genetic heritage of human beings which could make such modifications heritable (with the exception of research relating to cancer treatment of the gonads)
• intending to create human embryos solely for the purpose of research or for the purpose of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer
• leading to the destruction of human embryos (for example, for obtaining stem cells).

Projects involving human embryonic stem cells (hESC) or human embryos (hE) will require approval from the Research Executive Agency (REA) before commencing.