A Practical Guide to ELSI for Public Decision-Makers: Now Published by Skills4EOSC

Skills4EOSC is pleased to announce the publication of the Guidelines and FAQs on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues (ELSI): A Practical Handbook for Civil Servants and Policy Makers.

Designed to support the roles of policy makers and public administrators, this practical guide brings together essential information and ready-to-use templates to help navigate complex ethical, legal, and social considerations. Topics covered include personal data protection, intellectual property rights, data regulation, and research ethics.

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, civil servants and policymakers face growing challenges in balancing innovation with accountability. This handbook provides a stepping stone to develop a working understanding of the key issues necessary to make informed decisions, independent of stakeholder pressure and with a strong commitment to democratic values.

Promoting and supporting Open Science is a central pillar of this approach. By fostering transparent access to knowledge and the results of scientific research, policymakers and civil servants can help prevent the commodification of science, facilitate further research, and ensure inclusive access to resources.

Whether working alongside researchers or acting as researchers themselves, public officials have a crucial role to play in enabling Open Science. This handbook is here to support them on that journey.

📘 Access the Handbook here: https://zenodo.org/records/14736425