The ERC PatentsInHumans team are delighted to launch a graphic recording artwork created by artist Eimear McNally illustrating key themes explored in a recent ERC PatentsInHumans workshop. The workshop, which focused on the topic of ‘Human Rights, Bioethics and Patents over Technologies related to the Human Body: Towards Person Centred Approaches” took place in Maynooth University on 18th June 2026, and was organised by the ERC PatentsInHumans Project members Professor Aisling McMahon (Principal Investigator), and researchers Sharon Adedapo and Lauren Kane.
The workshop featured papers by leading international experts on intellectual property law, human rights, health law and related fields, including: Professor Caroline B Ncube (University of Cape Town), Dr Emmanuel Kolawole Oke (University of Edinburgh), Dr Shawn Harmon (C3Legal Inc.), Dr Karen Walsh (School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University), Dr Siva Thambisetty (LSE Law School), , Professor Peter K. Yu (Texas A&M University), Dr Genevieve Wilkinson & Dr Evana Wright (University of Technology Sydney), Dr Amaka Vanni, (University of Leeds), Dr Katrina Perehudoff (University of Amsterdam), and Professor Susi Geiger (University College Dublin (UCD). Papers and discussions over the day focused on critically analysing the ways that human rights avenues may be used or have previously been used to address the implications posed by patent grant and use over health-technologies for access to and delivery of health care. Discussions also focused on the limits/opportunities of human rights in such contexts. The workshop also examined the relationship between human rights and bioethics in this space, including consideration of how bioethics can or should inform human rights.
To facilitate broader public and societal engagement with the research, the project engaged the assistance of artist Eimear McNally to visually represent key workshop discussions. Eimear created a live graphic recording during this event. Graphic recording entails an artist simultaneously listening and drawing to capture the key concepts and themes arising throughout the workshop – transforming discussions into a visual representation of key ideas/concepts in real-time through live illustration. This artwork can be viewed on the ERC PatentsInHumans website here.
Art plays a key role in the dissemination of research conducted as part of the PatentsInHumans project. Prior to this workshop graphic, Eimear McNally designed an illustration which represented the key findings of an article Prof McMahon published in Medical Law Review. Prof McMahon and Eimear McNally have also recently published a blogpost reflecting on their experience of using art as a means to encourage wider dissemination and public engagement with academic research findings both within and beyond the university context, which is available here.
Artist Eimear McNally engaging in graphic recording at a recent PatentsInHumans Workshop
The organisers are very grateful to the ERC for the support in funding this event as part of the PatentsInHumans project, and to the School of Law and Criminology and Assisted Living and Learning (ALL) Institute for their support in organising of this event and co-hosting this project.
You can find out more about the PatentsInHumans project on our website and by watching this short video.
The PatentsInHumans project is funded by the European Union (ERC, PatentsInHumans, Project No. 101042147). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.