The IANB is unique insofar as it is led by academics from many different countries. Consequently, it participates in the development of a necessary international perspective on research on bioethics. However, although steered by academics, the Network actively collaborates with other non-academic professionals, who specialise in the field of biomedicine.
Made up of lawyers at its core, the Network exists to conduct multidisciplinary research. The law on diverse issues in bioethics in different countries - and consequently cultures - is presented and analysed through the prism of various disciplines. In this way, law serves to reveal the social perception of the bioethical issues. The work of the Network therefore goes further than merely presenting the different legal provisions: it examines the law from diverse standpoints such as anthropology, philosophy, sociology, medicine, psychoanalysis and even economics.