Guidelines for Researchers on Dual Use and Misuse of Research

Guidelines for Researchers on Dual Use and Misuse of Research

These Guidelines for Researchers on Dual Use and Misuse of Research have been developed by the five Flemish universities and imec, VIB, the Institute of Tropical Medicine, VITO and FlandersMake.

These guidelines describe the expectations and obligations of researchers in research which might be dual use or misused. You may not have heard of these concepts before or you may not be very sure what they mean. This publication explains everything step by step so it is clear what you can and/or should do. First, we will discuss the concept of dual use research and its legal ramifications. Then we will turn to the broader concept of misuse of research and the ethical obligations when there is a risk of dual use and misuse of research. After that, we will discuss what concrete steps researchers should take, and finally we will give some specific examples for illustration and refer to further sources and contact addresses for more information.