Northern Bioethics Network: linking institutions to build bioethics capacity in the UK north

We aim to create an inter-institutional Northern Bioethics Network of academics in bioethics in the north of the UK. The objective of the network is to enable bioethics researchers, who may be few in number in their own institutions, to form a regional research community that can build capacity, career development, collaboration and innovation in scholarship and engagement in bioethics.

The formation of a geographically-linked network of bioethics academics is particularly important in the north of the UK because it is not easy for academics based in widely dispersed institutions to collaborate and share diverse regional perspectives. In-person interactions are an important part of maintaining a network as they build professional relationships across time and between researchers at different career stages.

We will set up an ongoing series of bi-annual meetings rotating among host institutions. The first three meetings will provide an initial impetus to help establish the network, creating momentum to enable us to build the longer-term sustainability of the network.