Ethics of research payment

Title: Indecent proposal? Ethics of paying participants of biomedical research
Principal Investigator: dr Joanna Różyńska
Funding: National Science Centre, OPUS 22
Project no: 2021/43/B/HS1/01881   
Duration: 10.2022-9.2026   

Research team: 

Project goals: The overall scientific goal of this project is to develop a conceptually clear, ethically sound and practically feasible ethical framework for offering payment to competent research participants. The goal will be achieved by clarifying and redefining a set of key issues and concerns raised by the practice of paying research subjects – namely, commodification concern, coercion and undue inducement objection, exploitation concern, and the question of fair, “appropriate” payment. The project will also provide insight intoattitudes of members of Polish biomedical RECs (komisje bioetyczne) about offers of research payment generally, and about the above mentioned payment-related concerns specifically.

Key words: research ethics, research payments, undue inducement, exploitation, fair compensation

Publications

Conference presentations

  • Plannned – Różyńska, J. (2025). Payments for research participants and research risks. 37th ESPMH Conference: Medicine, healthcare, and the market. Manchester UK, August 13-16, 2025.
  • Plannned – Różyńska, J. (2025). Ochrona uczestników eksperymentów medycznych znajdujących się w przymusowym położeniu. Ogólnopolskie Forum Prawa Medycznego i Etyki Lekarskiej im. dr. Pawła Wójcika, Warszawa, May 23-24, 2025.  
  • Plannned – Różyńska, J. (2025). The ethics of paying research participants: a moral obligation or a necessary evil?, 2nd International Conference on Social Context of Sciences: Interdisciplinarity and Technology Assessment, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław, P0land,  May 12-13, 2025
  • Różyńska, J. (2024), Ethical payment to research participants: a principle-based analysis, Public Responsibility in Research and Medicine 2024 PRIM&R Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, US,  November 18-20, 2024.
  • Różyńska, J. (2024), Should participants in clinical research be paid according to risk?, On-line Conference Ethics by design: Shaping Secure Innovations’ 24, Łukasiewicz Research Network — ITECH Institute of Innovation and Technology, Warsaw, Poland, October 24, 2024. 
  • Kaczmarek, E. & Różyńska, J. (2024). Research payment, exploitation, and the rights of the participant of biomedical research, 9th Conference of the European Association of Health Law: Health and Fundamental Rights. Warsaw, Poland, September 18-20, 2024.
  • Kaczmarek, E. (2024). Exploitation in biomedical research: Who and how should be paid for participating in clinical trials?, 36th ESPMH Conference: Medicine, healthcare, and the market. Frankfurt/ Offenbach, Germany, August 21-24, 2024.
  • Różyńska, J. (2024). Coercive offers and research payments, 36th ESPMH Conference: Medicine, healthcare, and the market. Frankfurt/ Offenbach, Germany, August 21-24, 2024.
  • Różyńka, J. (2024). Ethics of risk-based payment for research participants, 17th IAB World Congress of Bioethics, Doha/Quatar, June 4-6, 2024. 
  • Różyńska, J. (2024). Płacić czy nie płacić? Wyzwania etyczno-prawne związane z wynagradzaniem uczestników badań biomedycznych, Ogólnopolskie Forum Prawa Medycznego i Etyki Lekarskiej im. dr. Pawła Wójcika, Warszawa, May 24-25, 2024.  
  • Różyńska, J. (2023), A principle-based framework for ethical research payment, EACME Annual Conference 2023: Facing disruption. Challenges to Bioethics, Human Rights and Democracy. Warsaw, September 14-16, 2023 https://eacme2023.filozofia.uw.edu.pl

Other forms of dissemination of research results

  • Planned – Academic seminar: Różyńska J., The limits of voluntariness: from coercion to persuasion, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Philosophy, 2025/2026 (Spring term).
  • Seminar talk: Różyńska J., Undue inducement, coercion and ethics of paying to research participants, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Philosophy, Ethics Department Meeting, December 9, 2024.
  • Seminar talk: Kaczmarek E., Paying for participation in medical experiments and protection against exploitation: a bioethical analysis of Article 23b of the Act on the professions of physician and dentist, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Philosophy, Ethics Department Meeting, October 21, 2024.
  • Workshop: Kaczmarek E., Justice and exploitation in international research, 8th Spring School of Bioethics “Solidarity and Justice in Global Bioethics”, Bioethics Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences and University of Warsaw, Center for Bioethics and Biolaw WFz, Jabłonna, July 1-3, 2024.