Ethics in Grants

Just as for your ongoing research, when applying for funds for a research project, it is also important to consider the ethical implications of the scientific work you will be proposing. Together with the gender dimension, the ethics topic is of great significance, to the extent that an increasing number of funding organisations request their applicants to specifically address this aspect in their project proposals.

ETHICS becomes of special relevance if the envisaged project includes one or more of the following activities:

• animal experimentation and/or processing of animal data
• investigative work on humans that requires human participation and/or processing of personal data
• investigative work on human samples and tissues, including human embryonic stem cells
• collection and use of genetic resources and samples from the wild, e.g. plants or insects
• the exposure or handling of hazardous materials for humans and/or the environment, including GMOs (genetically modified organisms)
• the development, deployment, and/or use of AI-based systems, including algorithms
• the (potential) misuse of project results

Detailed information about research ethics topics and requirements at ISTA can be found on the Research Ethics and Integrity pages, and if you have questions, please contact our Ethics Officer

Security in Grants

Projects requesting funds from any of the European Commission Funding Programmes (e.g., MSCA, ERC and EIC calls, … under Horizon Europe) should also consider aspects related to security, whenever applicable. In that line, any work that may involve

• the use of sensitive information that may compromise the security of individuals, or EU interests
• dual use* of project results

should also be specifically addressed at the proposal/application stage

* goods, services, software, technology, “that can be used for both civilian and military applications” – EC definition of dual-use item

ETHICS & GRANTS at ISTA

Before submission, our Ethics Officer at ISTA must be informed of any fellowship or grant application in order to assess the ethical relevance of the project as well as its compliance to national and international regulations. The Ethics Officer and, by extension, the Ethics Committee, can be consulted and provide advice on how to address all these aspects in the research proposal and/or implemented in the funded projects.

To this purpose, the completion and submission of the ISTA ethics monitoring form has become an integral part of the application preparation process and a mandatory step at ISTA.

Hence, if intending to apply for funds, please complete and send the form well before submission by:

• visiting the page https://ethics-monitoring.pages.ist.ac.at/grants, completing and submitting the online form, if you are an ISTA scientist, or,
• completing and sending the offline form to the ISTA Ethics Officer and us. Please contact us to request the offline form.

Responsible use of generative AI in grant applications

The Grant Office and the Ethics Officer at ISTA have created a document on the responsible use of generative AI tools when preparing grant proposals. This document is based on the suggestions given in the Living Guidelines on the Responsible Use of Generative AI in Research from the European Commission.

Keep in mind that this is a rapidly evolving technology, hence this is a living document and will be updated regularly. Please find the latest version of the document here:

Responsible Use of Generative AI in Grant Applications

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about using generative AI tools or about this document, please contact the Grant Office and/or the Ethics Officer.