As a university with strong expertise in ethics and responsible innovation, VU Amsterdam is well positioned to facilitate dialogue on the complex questions surrounding dual-use research.
From a legal perspective, dual-use is understood through the framework of export control and the EU Dual-Use Regulation. While international c ooperation and the exchange of knowledge and technology are essential for both the national innovation landscape and the international aca demic community, the same knowledge and technologies may also be misu sed. Examples include the development of weapons of mass destruction, unwanted military applications, or technologies that could contribut e to human rights violations. Goods, technologies, and related knowle dge that present such risks fall within the scope of the EU Dual-Use Regulation. However, in this workshop we take a broader perspective o n dual-use. Rather than focusing solely on regulatory compliance, we aim to explore the wider ethical, legal, economic, and governance que stions that arise when research and innovation can serve both civilia n and military purposes.
This is why the Centre Defe nce and Resilient Society (CDWS) organises a workshop on Dual-Use to address how research and technology can serve both civilian and military purposes, raising concerns about re sponsibility, design, and potential misuse.
In ;debates at universities, including those at Vrije Universiteit Amste rdam, the dual-use character of research and technology is frequ ently mentioned as a reason for caution regarding collabora tions with defence organizations. The argument is that scie ntific knowledge developed for civilian applications can be repurpose d for military objectives. Or that technology developed in colla boration with defence may fall into the wrong hands. This r aises the concern that researchers may become implicated in warfare o r surveillance.
CDWS facilitates the debat e on dual-use, emphasizing that concerns should go beyond h ow technologies are used after their development. First of all, many technologies are inherently dual-use. For example, AI can assist in m edical diagnosis but can also be integrated into autonomous weapons s ystems. Drones can support climate change monitoring while also enabl ing military surveillance or targeting. Secondly, dual-use possibilit ies are not accidental. Design choices, system architectures, and fun ding priorities can make the development of certain technologies easi er and more likely than others.
Dual-use comes with important e thical questions. If technologies indeed embody particular values and interests, responsibility cannot be limited to end users. Developers , researchers, and funders must consider whether or how specific tech nologies should be created and whose interests they serve. In the CDW S workshop on dual-use, we aim to explore how the discussion on dual- use can shift from evaluating the consequences of use to examining va lues in knowledge production and design choices prior to implementati on and use.
Next to ethical considerations, dual-use raise econ omic and legal concerns. Governments increasingly regulate the export of sensitive technologies to certain countries. They do this in orde r to protect national security, to maintain strategic advantages, and to prevent the proliferation of military capabilities. In this conte xt, law provides the framework that makes these principles enforceabl e, for example through export controls. However, legal intervention o ften occurs late in the innovation process. In the workshop, we seek to understand how governance can steer this process toward socially d esirable outcomes.
Recognizing the non-neutrality of technology , the CDWS workshop facilitates a dialogue on how ethics, law, and go vernance an co-shape knowledge production and technological developme nt in the context of defence and resilient society, from the expertis e of VU Amsterdam and other institutions.
We invite VU research ers from all different disciplines together to discuss Dual-Use in a multidisciplinary setting.
DESCRIPTION: As a university with strong expertise in ethics and responsible innovation, VU Amsterdam is well positioned to& nbsp;facilitate dialogue on the complex questions surrounding du al-use research. From a legal perspective, dual-use is understood thr ough the framework of export control and the EU Dual-Use Regulation. While international cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and tec hnology are essential for both the national innovation landscape and the international academic community, the same knowledge and technolo gies may also be misused. Examples include the development of weapons of mass destruction, unwanted military applications, or technologies that could contribute to human rights violations. Goods, technologie s, and related knowledge that present such risks fall within the scop e of the EU Dual-Use Regulation. However, in this workshop we take a broader perspective on dual-use. Rather than focusing solely on regul atory compliance, we aim to explore the wider ethical, legal, economi c, and governance questions that arise when research and innovation c an serve both civilian and military purposes. This is why the Ce ntre Defence and Resilient Society (CDWS) or ganises a workshop on Dual-Use to address how research and technology can serve both civilian and military purposes, raising con cerns about responsibility, design, and potential misuse. In debates at universities, including those at Vrije Universitei t Amsterdam, the dual-use character of research and technology is&nbs p;frequently mentioned as a reason for caution regarding co llaborations with defence organizations. The argument is th at scientific knowledge developed for civilian applications can be re purposed for military objectives. Or that technology developed i n collaboration with defence may fall into the wrong hands. This raises the concern that researchers may become implicated in wa rfare or surveillance. CDWS facilitates the debat e on dual-use, emphasizing that concerns should go beyond h ow technologies are used after their development. First of all, many technologies are inherently dual-use. For example, AI can assist in m edical diagnosis but can also be integrated into autonomous weapons s ystems. Drones can support climate change monitoring while also enabl ing military surveillance or targeting. Secondly, dual-use possibilit ies are not accidental. Design choices, system architectures, and fun ding priorities can make the development of certain technologies easi er and more likely than others.Dual-use comes with important ethical questions. If technologies indeed embody particular values and intere sts, responsibility cannot be limited to end users. Developers, resea rchers, and funders must consider whether or how specific technologie s should be created and whose interests they serve. In the CDWS works hop on dual-use, we aim to explore how the discussion on dual-use can shift from evaluating the consequences of use to examining values in knowledge production and design choices prior to implementation and use.Next to ethical considerations, dual-use raise economic and legal concerns. Governments increasingly regulate the export of sensitive technologies to certain countries. They do this in order to protect n ational security, to maintain strategic advantages, and to prevent th e proliferation of military capabilities. In this context, law provid es the framework that makes these principles enforceable, for example through export controls. However, legal intervention often occurs la te in the innovation process. In the workshop, we seek to understand how governance can steer this process toward socially desirable outco mes.Recognizing the non-neutrality of technology, the CDWS workshop f acilitates a dialogue on how ethics, law, and governance an co-shape knowledge production and technological development in the context of defence and resilient society, from the expertise of VU Amsterdam and other institutions.We invite VU researchers from all different disci plines together to discuss Dual-Use in a multidisciplinary setting.Sign up! END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR