Terms of Reference National Commission for Bioethics and Technoethics

Terms of Reference

The National Commission for Bioethics and Technoethics is an independent advisory body of the State in the fields of life sciences and new technologies in general. Its mission is to explore the ethical, social and legal dimensions and consequences, particularly, in the fields of biology, biotechnology, medicine and genetics, as well as new technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced algorithms and robotics.

The Commission has the following responsibilities, in particular:

(a) Makes recommendations for comprehensive policies and specific actions, as well as relevant guidelines and opinions on issues related to its mission,
(b) represents the country in international organizations on issues related to its mission;
(c) develops initiatives to raise public awareness of issues related to its mission;
(d) participates in law-making Committees on issues related to its mission or gives an opinion on relevant provisions, before their submission;
(e) examines the adaptation of national law to international and EU law and proposes arrangements for matters relating to its mission;
(f) prepares and submits reports in accordance with Article 34;
(g) sets up working groups on issues related to its mission, consisting of specialized staff of the public sector or private experts, defines how they are organized and operate, and monitor their work; and
(h) organizes events on issues related to its mission.

These responsibilities, as well as the other terms of reference of the Commission are provided for in the founding law. The Commission is supported, in terms of staffing and infrastructure, by the Presidency of the Government and is part of its budget, as a separate special body."

Composition of the National Commission for Bioethics and Technoethics (April 2021-2025)

The National Commission for Bioethics and Technoethics was established on 15 April 2021, under Law 4780/2021. It is composed of eleven (11) distinguished scientists, appointed by the Prime minister.

Chair: Effy Vayena, Professor of Bioethics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

Vice Chair: Charalambos Tsekeris, Researcher at the Institute for Social Research of the National Center for Social Research.

Members

Sergios Theodoridis, Professor Emeritus of Engineering Learning and Data Processing in the Information and Telecommunications Department of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Evangelos Karkaletsis, Director of the Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications, of the National Center for Research in Natural Sciences “Democritus”.

Konstantinos Karpouzis, Director of Research at the Research University Institute of Communication and Computer Systems of the National Technical University of Athens.

Ioannis Kompatsiaris, First Level Researcher and Deputy Director at the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies of the National Center for Research and Technological Development.

Ismini Kriari, Professor of Constitutional Law at the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences.

Eugenia Prevedourou, Professor of Public Law at the Law School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Evangelos Protopapadakis, Associate Professor of Applied Ethics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Dimitrios Skaltsas, Executive Director of Intelligencia, a technology company providing innovative artificial intelligence applications for the development of new drugs.

Stavroula Tsinorema, Professor of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy and Bioethics at the University of Crete.

Personnel

The Commission is supported by two (2) scientific officers plus the Secretariat.

The duties of the officers comprise report preparation and undertaking research on topics decided by the Commission. They also organize a database of texts and relevant scientific publications and work for the publication of prints regarding the Commission's activities or of bioethical interest in general. The two officers are: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Doctor of Law, and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Doctor of Genetics.

The Secretariat is responsible for the preparation of the Meetings, the secretarial support of the Chairman and the members, having also administrative tasks. Furthermore the Secretariat serves as a public relation person of the Commission with other relevant authorities in Greece and abroad. Since 2002 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. is running the Secretariat.

Stage

The Commission offers to students, mostly postgraduates, both from human and life sciences the possibility of training on issues related to bioethics.

Training period can last up to three (3) months without remuneration. The scientific officers support the trainees for accomplishing their diploma, while the students carry out documentation and other library-related tasks. Currently the Commission is in position to accept at most four (4) students per trimester. Therefore the interested students should contact the secretariat, preferably by email, communicating their request and sending their CV as an attached document. The CV must be accompanied by a short cover letter specifying the reason of interest (e.g. stage, seminars), or otherwise it won't be assessed.