Research to date includes work on AIDS, drugs, and the impact of new developments in reproductive technology; there have also been projects touching on multiculturalism and pluralism and, in a different context, on larger political issues invloving terrorism, nationalism and secession. The Centre has been a member of a European Consortium of Nordic countries coordinating research for a project on biomedical ethics in relation to genetic screening. The Centre has also presented evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee and provided advice and consultancy to publishers and the media.

The Centre provides a focus for research in legal philosophy at the University of Hull, drawing on research strengths in this area in philosophy, law, politics and criminology. The Centre has access to the resources of the wider University and can enlist the support for particular projects, of colleagues in health care and medicine social policy, economics and management sciences, etc. Researchers associated with the Centre publish and present papers at colloquia and conferences in the UK and abroad and are members of research networks in a number of areas including criminal justice ethics, medical ethics, feminist aspects of medicine, environmental ethics, and projects related to humanistic values.