Research Report for the Wellcome Trust Project on `Building a Sustainable Capacity in Dual-use Bioethics`
By Nicholas Evans

The dual-use dilemma occurs when research or technology may be used to ben- efit or harm humanity. This dilemma has become a pressing concern in the life sciences. Rapid advances in the understanding of the neurological, cognitive, information, biological and nanotechnological sciences hold the promise of new medicines and forms of energy, but may also aid in—among other things—the cre- ation of biological weapons. The risks that accompany any gains have generated significant debate over the last decade regarding the appropriate regulation of the life sciences, in an attempt to realise the promised benefits without the associated harms.
This is not the only way that “dual-use” can be used. Dual-use technology may refer to research with both military and civilian uses, and may not be in this context be a positive term. However, recent debates about the misuse of scientific research and technology refer to dual-use not as strictly military/civilian, but rather in terms of the capacity for research to be used in beneficial or harmful ways. It is this problem termed “dual-use” that I shall be referring to throughout this paper.