Case study: High performance fabrics research
A foreign government is funding interdisciplinary research between colleagues in the Schools of Design and Creative Arts and Sports and Health Sciences. The project is to help to develop fabrics suitable for use by athletes operating in extreme temperatures, both cold and hot.
The government in question is military-led with a strong army and a well-documented history of human rights abuses against LGBTQ+ people in their country and neighbouring states. While it’s not explicit in the project brief, the government is hoping for a solution which would be suitable for use by their military.
Depending on the technology used in the engineering of the fabric, this could require an Export Control licence or permission under the National Security and Investment Act.
While the initial proposal was focussed on athletes, knowing the history of the country’s military, those involved in the project should have thought about how else the technology could be used.
- What would the reputational and ethical consequences have been for the University if it transpired the fabric was clothing their soldiers?
- What impact would it have on students from our LGBTQ+ community?
If this had been funded by the UK government, it would still need to be considered under Export Control legislation, to ensure the outputs of the project are managed appropriately.