Rosana Triviño Caballero, of the Institute of Philosophy of Spain's Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), who was awarded a grant for her study: "Comparative study of protocols for accessing the interruption of pregnancy in the European Union (ProtoAccess)."

The purpose of the project is to determine whether the conditions for accessing the interruption of pregnancy (IP) in European Union countries reflect the needs of women who are affected, and respect the classic principles of bioethics (autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice), reinterpreted in the light of feminist theories of care.

The project aims to conduct a comparative analysis of differences between practice and legislation in the member states of the European Union, possible reasons for this, and the potential impact of such requirements on access to IP. It also seeks to offer a framework protocol designed to adjust the conditions of access, in cases where this could be necessary.

To Elena Lauroba of the University of Barcelona for the project: "The legal protection of intersex people: reconsidering the (arbitrary?) assignation of gender from a legal perspective" [La protección jurídica de las personas intersexuales: repensar desde el derecho las asignaciones (¿arbitrarias?) de género].

The author submitted a proposal to research the legal situation of intersex people – those who, in biological terms, cannot be unequivocally identified as belonging to one or other gender (male or female). Her aim is to analyze the level of protection afforded to their rights, both with regard to human rights and in terms of private law (name, privacy, marriage, etc.). She also aims to identify specific initiatives and actions in the public policy sphere. 

To Sonia Jimeno Ramírez of the University of Barcelona for the project: "Biotechnological patents: at the limits of legality" [Las patentes biotecnológicas: en los límites de la legalidad].

This research project seeks to analyze the ethical limits on industrial and intellectual property, particularly with regard to biotechnological patents or "patents on life". The author will explore their social, ecological and health impact, in order to evaluate both the legality and the legitimacy of an issue that has been controversial both within the scientific and academic community and within civil society as a whole.

To Loreto María García Moyano of the University of Zaragoza for the project: "Constructing a tool to quantify professional commitment in nursing" [Constructo de un instrumento para cuantificar el compromiso profesional en enfermería]. 

The aim of this study is to construct a valid, reliable instrument to quantify the commitment of nursing professionals in Spain. Care is what defines the nursing profession. However, at present this is considered only from a technical perspective, and the ethical dimension – consisting of elements such as accompaniment, empathy and confidentiality – is ignored. Quantifying professional responsibility or commitment in nursing would help to identify the factors that underpin it, and would also be useful as a means of preventing burnout.  

To Lydia Feito Grande and Tomás Domingo Moratalla of the Complutense University in Madrid for the project: "Narrative bioethics: applying the model in the clinical and educational setting" [Bioética narrativa: aplicación del modelo en el ámbito clínico y educativo].

The authors argue that narrative bioethics provides the necessary counterpoint to a rationalist ethics that focuses on decisions and abstract principles, and that it does so on the basis of attending to the experiences of those affected. This study aims to develop the practical application of the narrative bioethics model described in the book Bioética Narrativa (Escolar and Mayo, 2013), in a second book and also through the development of training materials (worksheets, exercise books, DVDS etc.), by bringing together resources that would otherwise be difficult for trainers to access, and by organizing events to promote the sharing of experiences and discussion of the issues. 

To the team led by Maite Cruz Piqueras of the Andalucian School of Public Health for the project: "Non-vaccination as a meeting point: analyzing discourse to build bridges" [La no vacunación como punto de encuentro: analizando discursos para tender puentes].

This study seeks to highlight the importance of and the reasons behind the argument against vaccination in children, which is often given far less coverage in the media than the countervailing arguments in favour. The researchers want to find points of dialogue and understanding between the two positions, starting from the exploration of the viewpoints of parents and health professionals who are opposed to vaccination, and of children who have not been vaccinated. As a result, the authors aim to develop a document with recommendations for institutions and health professionals, and to generate analysis and debate of the issue.

Research group: Maite Cruz Piqueras (Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública), Joaquín Hortal Carmona (Hospital de Alta Resolución de Guadix), Javier Padilla Bernáldez (Hospital Universitario Virgen de Valme) and Ainhoa Rodríguez de Cortázar (Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública).

Jordi Cabòs Teixidó of the Universitat de Barcelona for the project: "Epidemiologia de la Resiliència" (Epidemiology of Resilience).

This research project offers an ethical reflection in relation to the creation of meaning when faced with difficult situations. The study aims to examine the role of organizations and healthcare workers when helping to create a meaning and overcome the circumstances that millions of citizens are currently suffering due to the devastating effect of the economic crisis.

Míriam de la Flor of the Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII for the project: "Programa de toma de decisiones compartida en el cáncer de mama con mastectomía. El derecho de la mujer a decidir" (Shared decision-making program in breast cancer with mastectomy. The right of women to decide).

The diagnosis of breast cancer entails a situation of great stress. With this in mind, the project proposes the creation of an application that uses a fictional character (an avatar) to accompany women on a virtual tour that follows the decision-making process for the different therapeutic possibilities offered.

Oriol Yuguero Torres of the Universitat de Lleida for the project: "Estudio de la empatía de los médicos y enfermeras de Atención Primaria de la Región Sanitaria de Lleida y su relación con las variables clínica" (Study of the empathy of physicians and nursing staff in Primary Care in the region of Lleida and its relationship with clinical variables).

This project analyzes the level of empathy shown by healthcare professionals working in primary care centers in the region of Lleida. Various studies have linked the level of empathy, the ability that these professionals have in putting themselves in the situation of the patient, with greater ethical competence.

Sergio Ramos Pozón of the Universitat de Barcelona for the project: "El documento de voluntades anticipadas en salud mental" (The advance directives document in mental health).

The overall aim of this research consists in conducting a theoretical reflection based on empirical data on the need for psychiatric advance directives (PAD) in mental healthcare.

Omar García  Zabaleta of the Universidad del País Vasco for the project: "El concepto de autonomía del DSM 5: rasgos y posibles implicaciones de su modificación" (The concept of autonomy of the DSM5: characteristics and possible implications of its amendment).

This project aims to address the definition of the concepts of health and sickness and what we consider normal and what can be classified as pathological; aspects which have traditionally been a necessary and complicated task for psychiatry. From the beginnings of medicine, there have been many attempts to clarify the nature of both concepts and the fine line that separates them. However, even today one could argue that none of these has proved to be entirely convincing.

To Silvia Del Castillo Arrojo of the Fuenlabrada University Hospital for the project: How implantable defibrillators are currently managed in Spain in terminally ill patients and in end-of-life care. Are we considering deactivation?

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have proven to be useful in preventing sudden death originating from cardiac arrhythmia. However the use of ICDs has given rise to controversy in recent years. The aims of this study are to discover the current situation at centers which implant and monitor the defibrillators in Spain in terminally ill patients or with a poor quality of life. The research focuses on finding out whether an established protocol exists for ICD management in terminal cases, and whether patients are informed of the possibility of deactivating the electrical shock therapies, and who decides this, among other issues.

To Noelia Igareda of the Faculty of Law at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona for the project: The right to know the biological origins versus anonymity in the donation of gametes.

The aim of this research is to study how the right to know the biological origins can be guaranteed in our legal system, and how this right can be protected with the anonymity of male and female gametes in the field of assisted reproduction techniques. The three lines of research are resumed in:

• a study of the current legal regulation of European citizens' rights in EU legislation and the EU Charter;
• an analysis of the opinions of citizens on the right to know one's own origins, in the context of new forms of affiliation born through assisted reproduction techniques;
• the identification and analysis of the arguments for and against the anonymity of the donors of gametes in recent European and international literature from bioethics, legal and medical perspectives.

To Elvira Pértega of the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón for the project: The use of physical restraints in pediatric psychiatry units: Is this an ethical clinical practice?

The use of physical restraints is the source of ongoing controversy and one of the unresolved problems of institutional psychiatry. It is currently being considered an error rather than a treatment. This project examines the use of physical restraints from the perspective of error. It aims to establish that the established dimensions of the physical restraints are erroneous and to examine the differences between this concept and appropriate practice or malpractice.