Providing guidance on bioethical questions:

The Bayer Bioethics Council

Bio

An independent, external Council advises Bayer on bioethical questions relating to emerging Life Science technologies.

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Bayer´s Bioethics Council at the first in-person meeting in Berlin (June 2022)

Science and technology are advancing rapidly, and Bayer is proud to contribute to this development to achieve its mission “Health for all, Hunger for none”. The pace at which science is evolving, and the possibilities that these innovations create, raise challenging ethical questions. We have therefore established the Bayer Bioethics Council, an external advisory body consisting of independent experts. By bringing in a societal perspective, it helps Bayer identify relevant bioethical questions and provides advice on how to answer them. The Council’s purpose is to support Bayer in further developing bioethical guidelines for its decision making. 


The Bioethics Council provides ethical expertise and educational support to Bayer with regards to bioethics matters in the context of R&D-related innovation in life sciences, with a focus on medical topics, bioengineering and artificial intelligence, and which may concern the discovery, development, manufacturing, and use of human health directed treatments and therapies as well as agricultural products and practices for implementation.

 

The Bioethics Council 

  • advises Bayer on how to ensure bioethics is an integral part of the R&D contributions,
  • examines Bayer’s policies with respect to bioethics and provides input on strategic shifts, 
  • evaluates Bayer’s progress towards the implementation of its bioethics strategies and guidelines, 
  • consults on the main drivers behind contemporary bioethics topics (i.e. technological advancement and social change) relevant to Bayer’s work.

The Bioethics Council is an independent advisory body without executive power on the operational business. It supports Bayer across all of its divisions and meets twice a year in full.

Former members of the Bioethics Council

(December 2021 – October 2023)