PF: Which page number should applicants enter in the Ethics explanation box in Part A to refer to Ethics in the proposal?

Page indication is to help the evaluators to navigate to the specific parts of the proposal where they can find relevant information, to speed up their assessment. In that sense it refers to any page of the proposal, where this information could be found. Information in Part B2 is easiest to find because it has a dedicated Section 6 Additional ethics information, so the page indication comes particularly handy while screening Part B1.

PF: Should applicants address the ethics section only if their research activity involves the development, deployment and/ or use of Artificial Intelligence?

Applicants who plan to develop, deploy and/ or use Artificial Intelligence in their project should address this under Criterion 1 (Excellence) as they would do for any other key methodology they plan to use in the project. Addressing the technical robustness of AI systems is no longer required under Criterion 1.

As in previous MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships calls, whenever applicants intend to develop, deploy, or make use of AI in their project, they should answer ‘Yes’ to the relevant question in Part A, Section 4 - Ethics and Security, and provide an explanation of the ethical implications of the objectives, methodology, and potential impact of AI in their project, as well as compliance with relevant ethical principles and legislation, in the Ethics self-assessment of Part A (and in Part B2, if necessary).

Further information can be found in the document How to complete your ethics self-assessment. Applicants should also be aware of how the AI Act can affect their research activities.

DN: Is it necessary to hire an Ethics Advisor for projects touching on Artificial Intelligence and ethical issues?

The requirement to hire an independent Ethics Advisor is an outcome of the Ethics Review process and can be added as an additional requirement during the Grant Agreement Preparation stage. Projects can include an Ethics Advisor position already in the project proposal.