Box Office Bioethics

19 September 2011

Calling all budding young film-makers!

The Council is delighted to announce the launch of our new film-making competition for students, Box Office Bioethics.

The competition is open to students in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and there are some great prizes up for grabs - winners will receive £200 in gift vouchers and their film will be shown at the Council's annual public lecture in London in spring 2012.

New Working Party on mitochondrial donation

15 September 2011

The Council has set up a new Working Party to consider the ethical issues raised by mitochondrial donation.

Mitochondrial disorders affect around 1 in 250 live births and can cause symptoms such as muscular weakness, blindness, liver failure and diabetes.

UN Briefing: Governments have an ethical responsibility to address non-communicable diseases

14 September 2011

Ahead of the UN High-level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases in New York next week, the Council has produced a briefing paper outlining why heads of state not only need to take the lead in tackling diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, but that they have an ethical responsibility to do so.

Consultation response on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes

31 August 2011

In its response to the Home Office consultation on options for the transposition of European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, the Council has called for the 3Rs (Refinement, Reduction and Replacement) to be further promoted in UK research.

The Council said the consultation was a welcome opportunity to consider how the legal protection of animals used in scientific procedures can be improved.

Council reminds UK Government of its ethical duty to act as “steward”

30 August 2011

Hugh Whittall, Director of the Council, has written to The Independent, reminding the UK Government of its ethical responsibility to act as a steward to create conditions in which people can live healthy lives.

Job vacancy: Office and Communications Administrator

22 August 2011

The Council is looking to recruit an Office and Communications Administrator to help support the efficient running of the organisation and to assist the communications team in promoting the Council's work. 

This will be a part time position for 25 hours per week with flexibility in arrnanging working hours.

Duties will include general office administration; organising working party meetings and travel arrangements; maintenance of the department’s database and publications; updating the website; and helping to organise and promote events.

EC approves certification schemes for biofuels

21 July 2011

The European Commission has approved the first voluntary schemes that certify the sustainability of biofuels. To qualify for certification by these schemes, biofuels must be environmentally sustainable and lead to greenhouse gas emission savings over the whole production lifecycle. These criteria match two of the ethical principles that the Council recommended should guide biofuels policy development, as set out in its recent report Biofuels: ethical issues.

Intervention ladder informs Lords behaviour change report

19 July 2011

The House of Lords Science & Technology Committee has drawn on the Council’s ‘ladder of interventions’ to illustrate its conclusion that a whole range of measures – including some regulatory measures – will be needed to change behaviour in a way that will make a real difference to society’s biggest problems.

Council and AHRC host dementia policy seminars

13 July 2011

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) have jointly hosted a series of three policy seminars focusing on the Council’s 2009 report Dementia: ethical issues.

The seminars, which took place in Westminster throughout March 2011, engaged researchers and policy-makers in the field of dementia, and sought to highlight areas of crossover between bioethics, the humanities, and policy-making in the context of dementia.

International symposium considers global health inequalities

24 June 2011

An international line-up of speakers and 130 guests discussed current initiatives and future challenges in global health inequalities at the Council’s 20th anniversary symposium on Wednesday 22 June in London.