Dual-use and unintended use of findings

“Dual-use Research (“DUR”) is defined as research conducted for legitimate purposes that generates knowledge, information, technologies, and/or products that could be utilized for both benevolent and harmful purposes.” (c.f. Boston University Research support)

The Research Service of UNIGE has developed recommendations for researchers who may face dual-use Research issues.

DUR issues are especially sensitive when collaborating with authoritarian states, due to the blurred frontier between the academic and the military worlds.

The proximity between the military and political sectors will accelerate the transfer of knowledge and technology to the armed forces, with the risk of serving repressive practices, or violations of human rights.

Research conducted at UNIGE is most of the time not directly linked to applied technologies that could be subject to dual-use. However “Dual Use Research of Concern (“DURC”) must also be considered. It is defined as “life sciences research that, based on current understanding, can be reasonably anticipated to provide knowledge, information, products, or technologies that could be directly misapplied to pose a significant threat with broad potential consequences to public health and safety, agricultural crops and other plants, animals, the environment, materiel, or national security.” (c.f. Boston University Research support, see link above)

Here are some examples of technologies with higher risk of dual-use:

• quantum computing
• big data
• semiconductors
• 5G
• advanced nuclear technology
• aerospace technology
• Artificial Intelligence

For a detailed list of dual-use items, please refer to the list developed by the European Commission.

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