The project consortium currently consists of 10 Partners from 8 European countries:

Humboldt-University at Berlin, Germany, Department of European Ethnology

The Department of European Ethnology, with Prof. Dr. Stefan Beck, provides extensive research experience in the field of ethnography and cross-culture comparative studies on science and technology, esp. on genetic testing. They will do a deep-content analysis together with the Cypriot partners to investigate the personal preferences of lay people and patients on biomedicine. They will be responsible for the scientific support and co-ordination of ethnographic methods in the project. In the field of analysis their main responsibility will be in research on structures and forms of medicalisation and geneticisation and the socio-political consequences.

[http://www2.rz.hu-berlin.de/ethno]

University of Lund, Sweden, Center for Theology and Religious Study and Deptartment of European Ethnology

The Centre of Theology and Religious Studies, with Dr. Helena Röcklinsberg, contributes a broad range of research experiences on religious and cultural-ethical aspects of biotechnology. They will be responsible for the implementation of focus group discussion in Sweden and the local analysis, together with the Dept. of European Ethnology in Lund and will organise a consortium meeting.
Department of European Ethnology, with Prof. Dr. Susanne Lundin, has long experience with both ethnography and ethnology, esp. in the field of transplantation medicine and biotechnology. Therefore they will be involved in the comparative analysis of interviews.
Both institutions will contribute their skills on cultural and religious studies in the sub-project on cultural aspects and in the synopsis on plurality and divergences in European cultures in.

[www.teol.lu.se] [www.lu.se/o.o.i.s/1442] [up]

Makarios III Medical Centre (MMC), Cyprus, Nicosia Dept. of Clinical Genetics

The Deptartment of Clinical Genetics, with Dr. Violetta Anastaisadou, contributes medical-genetical knowledge and social aspects on disease and health. As medical institution they have close contacts to patients and insights to their preferences. They will be responsible for the implementation of focus group discussions in Cyprus in co-operation with social scientists from University of Nikosia, they will also be involved together with the Department of Ethnology, Berlin n interviewing lay people and patients in Cyprus and also for the local analysis (WP 1, 2, 3, 4). They will contribute their experience and knowledge in the sub-project on geneticisation in European societies and will organise a meeting in Cyprus. As a member of the National Bioethic Committee in Cyprus, Dr. Anatasaidou will also counsel the stage of synopsis on recommendations for policy makers.

[www.cing.ac.cy/cing.html] [up]

University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, Institute for Ethics

The Dept. of Philosophy, with Prof. Dr. Marcus Düwell, contributes his multitude research experience in the field of applied ethics and policies. He and his scientific staff will be responsible for implementing the focus groups in the Netherlands, while he will get support by the consortium partners for the design and they will analyse the data on a local level. They will investigate the ethical consequences of biomedical practise and the identity concept as also the relationship of ethical question and participation opportunities together with the partners from Goettingen and Lund. The will mainly be involved in the synopsis over the relationship of ethics, policy and governance.

[www.phil.uu.nl/en] [up]

University of Vienna, Austria, Department of Social Studies of Science

The Department of Social Studies of Science, with Prof. Dr. Ulrike Felt, provides extensive research experience on the public understanding of science and governance. Since the 1st of April 2005 (departure of the former co-ordinator Max-Delbrück Centre Berlin, Germany) they are responsible for the administrative co-ordination of the project and the public dissemination of the results at a public conference in the end stage of the project in Vienna, Austria. Besides their administrative work they will also methodically co-ordinate the project in the implementation phase as well as the local analysis of the focus groups. They are responsible for the implementation and interpretation of the focus groups in Austria. They will organise one meeting of the consortium in Vienna. They will investigate the public understanding of science and governance aspect in a sub-project together with the partners from Berlin and Riga.

[www.univie.ac.at/virusss] [up]

University of Latvia, Latvia, Riga Dept. of Sociology

The Department of Sociology, with Dr. Aivita Putnina, is expert of social and political studies. This partner has experience in the field of social aspects of genome research on laypeople, investigation of public discourses and participation opportunities in Eastern Europe Countries and will be an important partner in the sub-project on geneticisation and medicalisation for completing the comparative study of south, west-, mid and north European countries. Therefore they will prepare a special report on the situation in Latvia and Estonia on forms of geneticisation and public reactions. They will also contribute their investigations potentials in the synopsis and final recommendations esp. in the field of public information strategy and participation opportunities.

[www.policy.hu/putnina] [up]

University of Nancy, France, Research Group on Information, Communication and Propaganda

The Research Group on Information, Communication and Propagandas, with Dr. Anne Masseran, are French experts in the field of empirical studies of public attitudes and also of communication in various fields including medicine. They will mainly implement the focus group discussions in France and will analyse the data on local specifics of French lay people and patients. This partner is very important for assuring a balanced data basis on European cultures and Values, so the Romanic part of Europe has to be considered in the comparative analysis. They will organize a meeting in Nancy. In the later stages the group will support the other partners in fulfilling the comparative and cross-cultural interpretation and will take part in the discussion of the results.

[www.univ-nancy2.fr] [up]

University of Leeds, UK, Institute of Health Sciences and Public Health Research

The Institute of Health Sciences and Public Health Research, with Dr. Darren Shickle, contributes profound knowledge in public health, genetics and ethics. Bringing along project work experiences from several other projects founded by the European Union, they will be responsible for the empirical research on structures and forms of medicalisation and geneticisation as well as the analysis of socio-political consequences.

[www.leeds.ac.uk/hsphr] [up]

University of Goettingen, Germany, Department of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine

The Department of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, with Dr. Schicktanz, provides extensive research experience on the ethical discourse on biomedicine, esp. on genetic testing, stem cell research, xeno-transplantation, and cloning. They will be member of the steering group of the project together with Prof. Dr. Felt, Prof. Dr. Beck and Prof. Dr. Düwell. They will be responsible for the local analysis of the German focus groups implemented by the former partner and co-ordinator Max-Delbrück Centre Berlin. They will deliver an input to the empirical research on medicalisation and meaning of the body in the cultural context as well as on bioethical aspects.

[www.egm.med.uni-goettingen.de] [up]

 

Former partners:

Max Delbrueck-Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany, RG Bioethics and Science Communication, Dr. Ch. Tannert [www.bioethics-discourse.de]

University of York, GB, Centre for Health Economics, Dr. M. Kuhn [www.york.ac.uk/inst/che/index.htm]

University of Muenster, Germany, Institute for Ethics, History and Theory in Medicine, [www.klinikum.uni-muenster.de/institute/itgm]

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