Diapositiva 1

1
Comité Nacional de Ética en la Ciencia y la
Tecnología
2
Legal Basis

• Established by the Ministry of Education in 2001,
  the National Committee of Ethics in Science and
  Technology of Argentina (CECTE) is currently
  under the recently founded Ministry of Science,
  Technology and Productive Innovation (MinCyT).
• The eleven members of the Committee are appointed
  by the MinCyT upon consultations to scientific
  societies and are selected based on their high
  academic and personal qualifications in different
  areas of natural, exact and social sciences,
  humanities and law.

3
Introduction

• Argentina has a very active and relatively small
  scientific community that produced three Nobel
  Prize winners in science. In the latter half of
  the 20th century, the country suffered a
  permanent drain of young researchers due to
  political crises, military interventions and
  chronic economic difficulties. Nevertheless,
  Argentine research has succeeded to maintain high
  standards in some areas and is closely related to
  international science. This tendency is growing
  and strengthening at a fast pace as the
  scientific situation has favourably changed in
  recent years.
• In this context, CECTE evolved as an independent
  multidisciplinary body that studies controversial
  issues related to research ethics and the ethical
  implications of policies and regulations
  involving all areas scientific research and new
  technologies. It identifies ethical questions
  raised by new advances in science and technology
  and addresses topics of scientific responsibility
  for larger social concerns.

4
How CECTE works

• CECTE elaborates recommendations and reports
  based on the critical transdisciplinary analysis
  of the best available evidence and in the light
  of relevant ethical principles. For each case,
  the committee appoints experts from different
  disciplines to produce discussion papers on the
  state of art of the issues under study.
• The Committee has promoted cooperation with
  Brazil in research ethics and since 2006 it has
  organized four bilateral conferences in Argentina
  and participated in one organized by Brazil on
  questions of mutual interest.
• Since 2002, it has received requests for studies
  and recommendations from different governmental
  bodies, from public and private institutions and
  individuals.

5
How CECTE works

• The Committee signed an agreement with the
  Science and Technology Commission of the National
  Parliament to study and draft non-binding
  recommendations on bills involving controversial
  ethical issues in relation to science, technology
  and their impact on society and the environment.
  Accordingly, CECTE analysed bills related to
  Biosafety of GMOs in Agriculture (2002)
  Promotion of Biotechnological Industries (2003)
  Assisted Reproduction Techniques (2003) and
  Confidentiality of Genetic Data. On this last
  subject, the CECTE also produced a report on the
  ethical and legal issues raised by the UNESCO
  Resolution on Genetic Privacy and
  Non-discrimination for the National Institute
  against Racism, Discrimination and Xenophobia and
  other governmental agencies.
• The Committee carried out studies and
  recommendations for the Ministry of Foreign
  Affairs. In particular, CECTE produced two
  reports on Human Cloning (2004) on Codes of
  conduct for scientists and institutions in the
  context of the Convention on the Prohibition of
  the Development, Production and Stockpiling of
  Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons
  and on their Destruction (2005) and on
  statements and declarations proposed by
  international organizations as UNESCO among
  others.

6
How CECTE works

• At the request of the former Secretary of
  Science, Technology and Productive Innovation,
  CECTE elaborated several reports, among others
  one on Research conducted in national public
  scientific institutions when financing by foreign
  armed forces institutions is involved (2005).
• CECTE elaborated a recommendation about Integrity
  in the scientific community relations (2003) and
  on Partnership of scientific and technological
  institutions and other organizations for granting
  awards (2004).

7
Research integrity

• In 2005, the Committee began to work on cases
  related to research integrity and misconduct, in
  response to allegations of plagiarism presented
  by individual researchers and a solicitation from
  the national funding agency to study measures to
  avoid conflicts of interest. In this regard, the
  Committee recommended regulatory and
  organizational changes in the concerned
  institutions to prevent future cases and the
  creation of adequate conditions to investigate
  research misconduct allegations.
• CECTE will be working along 2009 on the
  organization of a research integrity Latin
  American network.

8
Current work

• CECTE analysed the expansion in the intellectual
  property laws breadth, scope and term over the
  last 30 years and the ethical and legal concerns
  it rises regarding the access to the benefits of
  science and technology. Such process affects the
  necessary balance between private and public
  interests in areas that are crucial for cultural,
  economic and social development and has serious
  implications for the healthcare of vulnerable
  sectors in developing countries. After a two
  years long study and two workshops, CECTE
  approved the final report with recommendations
  supporting the Access to Scientific Knowledge in
  the Public Domain (2008).
• CECTE is elaborating recommendations on the
  Ethics of Research Involving Animals including
  guidelines for the production and care of animals
  and regulations. It has commissioned a discussion
  paper on existing international regulations about
  the use and care of animals for scientific
  research. It organised two small meetings and
  sponsored the participation of argentine experts
  in a conference held in Campinas, Brazil, to
  discuss the new Brazilian Act for the use and
  care of animals for research passed on September
  2008.

9
Current work

• CECTE organised a conference on the Code of
  Conduct for Responsible Nanoscience and
  Nanotechnology (NN) Research approved by the
  European Commission in February 2008. The
  conference, inaugurated by the Minister of
  Science and Technology, was co-organised by the
  Argentine Foundation for Nanotechnology the
  Argentine - Brazilian Centre of NN the
  Argentine-Brazilian Programme of Ethics in
  Science and Technology and the International
  Relations Division of the Ministry of Science and
  Technology. Peteris Zilgalvis, Head of the Ethics
  and Governance Unit of the Research Directorate
  General, presented the Code of Conduct for
  Responsible Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
  Research and informed about the actions
  envisioned to its implementation.

10
Current work

• During the conference, representatives from
  academia, industry and governmental organisations
  had a very stimulating discussion about the
  possibility and convenience of adopting a similar
  Code in the region. The need for a Code of
  Conduct was approved. CECTE is in charge of
  developing a survey among stakeholders to collect
  a wide range of views on the issues of concern
  to produce recommendations about the
  implementation of the code and risk assessment
  and the incorporation of the principles of the
  code of conduct in scientific and industrial
  practice.

11
Current work

• CECTE organised a workshop Neurosciences and
  Society to analyse a discussion paper on the
  molecular bases of memory formation, retrieval,
  persistence and extinction written by three
  leading scientist in the field. During the
  meeting, held on December 2007, the committee
  decided that the issue is linked to new
  developments in medicine and biology in
  humanities, in cognitive and social sciences and
  raises ethical questions and concerns of
  significance and complexity that have important
  implications for society and social
  responsibility of science and research policy.
• The Committees working programme on neuroethics
  includes an international conference and the
  elaboration of a Report in 2009.

12
Current Members

• Samuel Finkielman, MD, Former Director of the
  Institute for Clinical Investigation, University
  of Buenos Aires (UBA). He works on Clinical
  Research.
• Stella González Cappa, PhD in Medicine, Full
  Professor, works on Immunoparasitology and
  Microbiology research at the School of Medicine
  (UBA).
• Karen Hallberg, PhD in Physics, researcher at the
  Atomic Centre Bariloche and Balseiro Institute,
  Member of the Pugwash Conferences for Sciences.
• Ivan Izquierdo, PhD in Medicine, Director of the
  Memory Research Centre, Pontifícia Universidade
  Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Member of
  the National Academies of Sciences of Argentina,
  Brazil, the United States and the UE. He works on
  the molecular mechanisms of formation, evocation,
  persistence and extinction of memory.
• Noé Jitrik, Professor of Literature and critics,
  at the UBA UNAM and Colegio de Mexico (Mexico),
  at United States and UE universities, writer,
  Director of the Institute of Latin American
  Literature, UBA.

13
Current Members

• Aída Kemelmajer, PhD in Law, State Supreme Court
  Justice, Full Professor University of Cuyo,
  Mendoza, and several universities of Argentina
  and the UE member of the National Academy of
  Law and Social Sciences.
• Alberto Kornblihtt, PhD in Biochemistry, Full
  Professor and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  International Research Scholar, works on
  Molecular Biology at the School of Sciences, UBA.
  His project studies mechanisms of coupling
  between transcription and alternative mRNA
  splicing in human cells.
• Ernesto Maqueda, PhD in Physics researcher on
  theoretical physics at Tandar Laboratory.
  National Commission on Nuclear Energy.

14
Current Members

• Armando Parodi, PhD in Biochemistry, Director of
  the Leloir Foundation, Member of the National
  Academy of Science of Argentina, USA and other
  academies in Latin America and Europe, Howard
  Hughes Medical Institute International Research
  Scholar. He studies the mechanisms by which
  proteins that follow the secretory pathway
  acquire their three-dimensional structures in the
  endoplasmic reticulum.
• Carolina Vera, PhD in Meteorology Professor and
  Vice Dean of the School of Sciences, UBA.
  Chairperson of the American Meteorological
  Society/STAC Committee on Southern Hemisphere
  Meteorology and Oceanography. She works on
  climate change at the Research Centre on
  Oceanography and Atmosphere, School of Sciences,
  UBA.

15
Further Information

• Otilia Vainstok
• Director
• National Committee of Ethics in Science and
  Technology
• Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación
  Productiva
• Address
• Ecuador 873, 4 piso
• (C1214ACM) Buenos Aires
• Republica Argentina
• Tel. [phone] ext.812
  Email cecte_at_mincyt.gov.ar.
• Website http//www.cecte.gov.ar

16
Comité Nacional de Ética en la Ciencia y la
Tecnología
Ecuador 873 4 piso(C1214ACM) Buenos
AiresRepública Argentina(5411)
4963-6605/6862/9575/9585 ext.7812cecte_at_mincyt.gov
.arhttp//www.cecte.gov.ar