Duration: 24 month (started October 2005)
Funding: European commission, Sixth Framework programme, priority 4.3.2.3., Deepening understanding in ethical issues

Most emerging biotechnologies are being developed with the purpose to heal people from severe diseases. However, many of these new technologies also have the potential for being used beyond the frame of therapy, namely for enhancement of human capacities in body and mind. In practice we may see biotechnologies with such potential being applied to make people think better, feel happier or even to improve their physical skills in sports or to extend the life-span.

The aspect of such potential within the emerging biotechnologies and others such as nanotechnologies forces us to consider how enhancement of human beings will eventually influence our self-understanding, our society and the goals of (bio-) medicine in general. Will the perspective of enhancement of bodily skills, of life span or our rationality or personal behaviour turn our society into a post-human society? Will enhancement of our individual capacities change our perception of human nature in general? Will we distinguish differently between ‘normality’ and ‘diseased’ than what we do today and if so how will this influence our society?

If we are to prepare our society to cope with the enhancement perspective of the emerging biotechnologies, we must consider such ethical and philosophical question within the context of the current biotechnological development.

The ENHANCE project investigates the latest development within research on biology, bio-gerontology and neuroscience in order to reach a deeper understanding of the ethical and philosophical consequences when moving from ‘therapy’ perspective towards the one of ‘enhancement’. The project addresses the aspect of human enhancement within four specific targeted research areas, namely cognition, mood, physical performance in sports and extension of life span. The main objectives is to

  1. To document current and imminent scientific advances that may enhance human capacities in cognition, mood, physical performance (in sport) and ageing.
  2. To evaluate these advances from a philosophical, ethical and social perspective.
  3. To facilitate policy-making to the emerging dual-use technologies.
  4. To promote public understanding of dual-use technologies and the ethical debate.

The ethical research that is the core of the project will be based on in-depth scientific understanding of the new technologies provided from experts within neuroscience, biology and bio- gerontology. The research will combine literature search, workshops and a conference to reach the objectives of the project.

Coordinating institution: Centre for Ethics in medicine, University of Bristol
Special assignments: Over all coordination of the project
Coordinator: Prof. Ruud ter Meulen

Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
Special assignment: Ethics in Cognitive enhancement
Team Leader: Prof. Julian Savulescu
(Future of Humanity Institute)

Stockholm Bioethics Centre, University of Stockholm, Sweden
Special assignment: Ethics in physical enhancement in sports
Team Leader: Prof. Gustaf Arrhenius

Faculty of Philosophy, Universita Vita Salute – San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
Special assignment: Ethics in extension of life span
Team Leader: Prof. Massimo Reichlin

Institute for Bioethics, University of Maastricht, the Netherlands
Special assignment: Ethics in mood enhancement
Team Leader: Dr. Ron Berghmans