SEAS FELLOWS – INCOMING AND OUTGOING
ETHICS SELF-ASSESSMENT
Please fill in and send this attachment with the file format: surname_name_att3

This form is a mandatory element of the application for a SEAS postdoctoral research fellow position – APPLICATIONS THAT DO NOT INCLUDE THIS FORM WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED – and projects cannot start until all approvals are in place. 
We recommend you discuss ethical issues with your proposed supervisor during discussions about your research proposal.
The SEAS Fellowship Programme strictly adheres to the European Commission’s ethical standards laid out for Horizon 2020. All projects funded by SEAS must follow the EU and national/local ethics regulations of the Host organisations for both incoming and outgoing mobility. 
EU Horizons 2020 has provided a detailed guide on how to complete the following ethics self-assessment.
If your proposal raises any of the ethical concerns (i.e. you answer YES to any questions) in PART A, please include more details in PART B, including plans needed for obtaining required permissions or documentation, i.e. informed consent, etc. 
Be aware that some fields of research, especially within sensitive technology areas, might be enforced by Norwegian and international regulations regarding Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in these regulations might be prohibited from recruitment at UiB.

Research areas excluded from EU Horizon 2020 and therefore not eligible for funding:
•	research activities directed at human cloning for reproductive purposes.
•	research activity intended to modify the genetic make-up of human beings that could make such changes heritable.
•	research activities intended to create human embryos solely for the purposes of research or stem cell procurement, including the technique of somatic cell nuclear transfer.
•	research that leads to the destruction of human embryos.

PART A – ETHICS ISSUES TABLE
1.	Human embryos/foetuses
	YES	NO	
Does your research involve Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs)?			
•	Will the hESCs be directly derived from embryos within this project?			
•	Are the hESCs previously established cells lines?			
Does your research involve human embryos?			
•	Will the research lead to their destruction?			
Does your research involve human foetal tissue/cells?			
I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL			
Please note: Research projects that plan to use Human embryonic stem cells must obtain approval from the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics in Norway (REC). SEAS projects cannot start before they have gone through the EC ethics review and obtained an approval in writing from the Research Executive Agency (REA).

2. Human beings
	YES	NO	
Does your research involve human participants?			
•	Are they volunteers for social or human sciences research?			
•	Are they persons unable to give informed consent (including children/minors)?			
•	Are they vulnerable individuals or groups?			
•	Are they children/minors?			
•	Are they patients?			
•	Are they healthy volunteers for medical studies?			
Does your research involve physical interventions on the study participants?			
•	Does it involve invasive techniques? (e.g. collection of human cells or tissues, surgical or medical interventions, invasive studies on the brain, TMS etc.)? 			
•	Does it involve collection of biological samples or the use of already collected samples?			
I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL			

3. Human cells or tissues
	YES	NO	
Does your research involve human cells or tissues (other than from Human Embryos/ Foetuses, see section 1)?			
•	Are they available commercially?			
•	Are they obtained within this project?			
•	Are they obtained from another project, laboratory or institution?			
•	Are they obtained from a biobank?			
I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL			
Please give details regarding informed consent that has been obtained or will be obtained in Part B. For research involving processing of genetic information, see also section 4.
4. Personal data
	YES	NO	
Does your research involve processing of personal data?			
•	Does it involve the processing of special categories of personal data (e.g. genetic, health, sexual lifestyle, ethnicity, political opinion, religious or philosophical conviction)?			
•	Does it involve processing of genetic, biometric or health data?			
•	Does it involve profiling, systematic monitoring of individuals or processing of large scale of special categories of data, intrusive methods of data processing (such as, tracking, surveillance, audio and video recording, geolocation tracking etc.) or any other data processing operation that may result in high risk to the rights and freedoms of the research participants?			
Does your research involve further processing of previously collected personal data (including use of pre-existing data sets or sources, merging existing data sets)?			
Does your research involve publicly available data?			
Is it planned to import personal data from the EU to non-EU countries?			
Please specify the type of data and the countries involved here	
Is it planned to export personal data from non-EU countries into the EU?			
Please specify the type of data and the countries involved here	
I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL			
Norway is considered an EU country with regards to the import/export of research/personal data.

5. Animals
	YES	NO	
Does your research involve animals?			
•	Are they vertebrates?			
•	Are they non-human primates (NHP) (e.g. monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, etc.)?			
•	Are they genetically modified?			
•	Are they cloned farm animals?			
•	Are they an endangered species?			
I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL			

6. Non-EU countries
	YES	NO	
In cases where non-EU countries are involved, do the research related activities undertaken in these countries raise potential ethics issues?			
Please specify the countries involved	
Is it planned to use local resources (e.g. animal and/or human tissue samples, genetic material, live animals, human remains, materials of historical value, endangered fauna or flora samples, etc.)?			
Is it planned to import any material from non-EU countries into the EU?
For data imports, please fill in also section 4.
For imports concerning human cells or tissues, fill in also section 3.			
Please specify material and countries involved	
Is it planned to export any material from the EU to non-EU countries?
For data exports, please fill in also section 4.
For exports concerning human cells or tissues, fill in also section 3.			
Please specify material and countries involved	
In cases where research involves low and/or lower middle-income countries, are any benefits-sharing actions planned?			
Could the situation in the country put the individuals taking part in the research at risk?			
I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL			
Norway is considered an EU country with regards to the import/export of research/personal data.

7. Environment, health & safety
	YES	NO	
Does your research involve the use of elements that may cause harm to the environment, to animals or plants?
For research involving animal experiments, please fill in also section 5.			
Does your research deal with endangered fauna and/or flora/protected areas?			
Does your research involve the use of elements that may cause harm to humans, including research staff?
For research involving human participants, please fill in also section 2.			
I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL			

8. Dual use
	YES	NO	
Does this research involve dual-use items in the sense of Regulation 428/2009, or other items for which an authorisation is required?			
I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL			
EU Guidance
	YES	NO	
Could your research raise concerns regarding the exclusive focus on civil applications?			
I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL			
9. Exclusive focus on civil applications
EU Guidance
10. Misuse
	YES	NO	
Does your research have a potential for misuse of research results?			

11. Other ethics issues
	YES	NO	
Are there any other ethics issues that should be taken into consideration?			
Please specify any additional ethics issues			

PART B - ADDRESSING ETHICAL ISSUES
If you have identified any ethical issues in Part A, you must fill in Part B here. For further detailed guidance, see the document: How to complete your ethics self-assessment
For all ethical issues reported, please comment on the following:
1.	How the proposal meets the national legal and ethical requirements of the country or countries where the tasks in question are to be carried out.
2.	How you intend to address the issues raised in Part A (e.g. consent etc).
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