The foundation of the TSU Center for Science and Ethics was the result of the consolidation of many years of efforts to develop mechanisms and tools for expertise, consultation and implementation of research ethics standards which is spread in academia all over the world.

In 2011 one of the first in Russiathe Ethics Committee for Interdisciplinary Research was established which includes 14 leading Russian and foreign experts.

In 2015, at an international conference organized by TSU in cooperation with Goldsmiths, the University of London established the Accessible Genetics Consortium TAGC. The purpose of the Consortium is to communicate genetic knowledge in an accessible way and to address its ethical and legal issues – to enable everyone to benefit from genetic discoveries.  To achieve this goal, the Consortium brings together the efforts of scientists, lawyers, media representatives, government agencies and businesses.

Since 2016, on the basis of the TSU International Center for Human Development Research, in the structure of which the Center for Science and Ethics has been established, the English-language interdisciplinary master’s program “Human Development: Genetics, Neuroscience and Psychology” is being implemented. The component of scientific ethics is built into both the educational project and the research work of students.

Large-scale cross-cultural research is ongoing based on the iGLAS International Genetic Literacy and Attitudes Questionnaire tool, which is available in 7 languages. More than 15,000 respondents took part in the study. The results have been published in leading scientific journals. The new version of the iGLAS-Law and Ethics questionnaire is devoted to the study of the legal and ethical aspects of genetic research and their use.

The Center’s activities are aimed at:

• Development and support of research ethics.
• Promote the dissemination of scientific knowledge in order to provide people with the opportunity to reflect and participate in the process of forming policies / mechanisms for the implementation of scientific knowledge.
• Conducting research on public opinion and attitudes of people from different professional fields to the use of such the latest scientific advances as the use of self-learning algorithms (artificial intelligence) in diagnostics; genomic forecasting; Genetic Engineering; digitalization, etc.
• Regulation in the field of the use of scientific knowledge to prevent discrimination and possible negative consequences from the introduction of the latest scientific and technological achievements of scientific achievements.

The Center’s model, which is based on “embedded applied ethics” is based on an interdisciplinary approach and openness, accumulating the expertise of leading Russian and international experts in the field of legal regulation, bioethics, psychology, pedagogy, biology, medicine, working with big data, etc. be successfully scaled up in other universities, research institutes and big consortia.