Ethics of university research, biotechnology and potential military spin-off.

The paper provides a brief introduction to the biotechnology revolution and its impact upon biological research relevant to military uses. It describes the status of biological weapon today, and current efforts to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention with a legally binding compliance protocol. Specific modifications of micro-organisms that may be of military use are discussed. There examples of dual-use research activities are then used to highlight issues and dilemmas in ethical decision making.