The Bioethics Institute Ghent (BIG) is a meeting place for academics doing research on bioethical issues, e.g. in medicine, health care, and biotechnology. The institute will (1) give shape to scientific research in bioethics, (2) educate and inform students, professionals, policy makers and the general public about bioethical issues, (3) serve as an observatory for bioethical developments at the regional, national and international level, (4) serve as an interface between researchers, medical practitioners and ethicists, (5) facilitate interdisciplinary discussion about bioethics, and (6) contribute to the policy debate on bioethics.