Part B (Description of Work)
B.4 Ethical issues
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52 (including both civil servants and parliamentarians), journalists, and civil society (principally think-tanks, NGOs and advocacy groups), respectively.
Briefing to Official institutions.
During the lifecycle of the project, partners will be encouraged to propose briefings to EU and Indian institutions (Commission/Council officials as well as the AFET Committee in Parliament), as well as the ministries of foreign affairs in partner countries back-to-back to CORE workshops and conferences. The Coordinator and WP leaders will provide the necessary contacts between non-EU researchers and European policy-makers and policy-shapers. This will take place both in concomitance with the stakeholder seminars as well as throughout the duration of the project, back-to-back with the plenary workshops.
Media and civil society briefings.
During the lifecycle of the project, partners will be encouraged to propose briefings to the media and civil society representatives and publish op-eds in national and international newspapers.
This will take place both in concomitance with the stakeholder seminars as well as throughout the duration of the project, back-to-back with the plenary workshops.
Policy Brief series.
All policy briefs of the project will be published in a policy brief series. The first policy briefs will be conducted in M16 and published as a series in M36 (in the form of a deliverable). In this series, policy-relevant conclusions will be shared with targeted policy audiences in the EU, India and global partners. Each Brief will be language edited by the Coordinating Institute. This series will be made available to the wider audience through the project website and networks.
Media Section on the website.
CORE’s website will include an exclusive section with general information for journalists/the media as well as information on how to access the project’s results, activities and documents.
Electronic newsletter.
The Coordinating Institute will design, manage and distribute CORE’s e-newsletter. The free six- monthly electronic newsletter will include executive summaries of the research reports (including their translations), as well as conference and workshop proceedings, reports and announcements on events and activities, links to relevant documents and information on CORE events and research.
Dissemination Review.
Monitoring the dissemination via a Dissemination Review, which will start from year 2. The review will monitor dissemination activities, methods and results and make recommendations for improvement. In addition to offering advice to research WPs about possible publication outlets, WP7 will review the progress of CORE’s scheduled publications.
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53 to the protection of the interests and rights of those subjects. The project team is aware of the special sensitivities attending research in societies undergoing conflict and tension. It is also aware of how gender, caste and social stratifications in society can affect research findings and so will take special care to overcome such obstacles. Preliminary considerations are deemed necessary especially with regard to two areas:
1. Informed Consent;
2. Data Protection and Privacy;
1. Informed Consent
Each participant in the interviews and focus groups of the research project will be clearly informed of its goals, it’s possible adverse events, and of the possibility to refuse to enter or to retract at any time with no consequences. In order to conduct effective research in the field, researchers will be required to cooperate with local officials and relevant actors. Their participation in this process of information gathering through surveys or interviews will be on a strictly voluntary basis, without risk, personal or otherwise for the volunteers.
Potential participants in the interviews and focus groups will be given all the information that might reasonably be expected to influence their willingness to participate. The information will be presented in a language easily understandable also by persons unfamiliar with research or the specific research topic.
In line with the requirements for the research project, and in view of the nature of the research, all subjects participating in the study will be provided with informed consent forms containing the following information:
• Purposes of the research, expected duration of the subject’s participation and a description of the procedures to be followed
• A description of any reasonable foreseeable risks or discomforts to the subject;
• Statement guaranteeing the confidentiality of records identifying the subject, and the use of the data uniquely for the purposes of the research project
• Explanation of whom to contact for answers to pertinent questions about the research and research subjects’ rights
• Statement that participation is voluntary, and that refusal to participate will lead to no penalties or loss of benefits to which the subject is otherwise entitled, and that the subject may discontinue participation at any time without penalty.
• Particular attention will be given on how to deliver the consent forms taking into due considerations matters related to cultural sensitivity and inter-cultural understanding.
2. Data Protection and Privacy
The project does not foresee an extensive collection of private information. In case inclusiveness needs to be assured, participants in surveys may be required to provide personal information such as gender, age, location etc. In such cases, and as stated in the informed consent form, the privacy of such information will be guaranteed, and under no circumstances will it be used to harm the participant. Similarly, the data will not be shared with any outside organization or country without the explicit consent of the participant.
The data provided will serve only for the purposes of the research project, and will not be kept longer than necessary. The participating individual will be explicitly asked to give his/her consent for the use of personal information used solely for the research project. Thereafter, the participant will be provided with the exact location and the measures to protect the data. Access to personal
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54 information gathered during the research will be available only to the designated researcher.
Electronic data will be password protected, white paper-based material will be kept locked in the premises where the project researchers are based.
Ethical Guidelines for the project
Bearing in mind the abovementioned preliminary considerations, four basic principles of conduct have been identified:
• Participatory approach: all relevant actors, committees and authorities in local communities must be consulted and the general guiding principles should be accepted in advance by all;
• Respect of the interests/views of all the potential participants: all participants must be allowed to contribute to the work, and the wishes of those who are unwilling to participate must be respected;
• Transparency: the development of the work must remain visible and open to suggestion from others;
• Anonymity will be maintained, if not expressly agreed otherwise.
It should be noted that all of the partner organisations have their own research ethics guidelines, and these will be adhered to. In the overall timeline of the project, CORE will be carried out in view of the following general
ethical guidelines:
Responsibility. The management structure will assign clear responsibility for the research activities and their results.
Research object. The choice of research objects of individual consortium members will be made objectively and in scholarly way, well aware of the potentially harmful social and individual effects.
Culture. The European and Indian research areas are large and heterogeneous. Though this is partially reflected in the broad geographical spread of research partners, as well as in the overall project aims, care will be taken to respect local, regional and national culture. The specificity of ethnic and religious identities will be treated with sensitivity and respect, and integrated into the individual research plan.
Conflicts of interest. Particular cultural groups have particular cultural interests. These interests will be made explicit in the research activity and reporting.
Consent will be sought freely from research subjects and informants.
Confidentiality of individual informants will be assured.
Results of the research will be fully available to those informants that have participated in the research.
Documentation. Research materials will be preserved in a way that assures accountability.
Data protection. The confidentiality of personal data gathered through fieldwork will be respected. Sources will not be identified without their express consent.
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