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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ENERI (European Network of Research Ethics and Research Integrity (ENERI))

Teaser

The European Network of Research Ethics and Research Integrity (ENERI) brings together two very important fields: research ethics and research integrity. Research ethics addresses the application of ethical principles to the various fields of research. This includes ethical...

Summary

The European Network of Research Ethics and Research Integrity (ENERI) brings together two very important fields: research ethics and research integrity. Research ethics addresses the application of ethical principles to the various fields of research. This includes ethical aspects of the design and conduct of research, the way human participants or animals within research projects are treated, and aspects of scientific misconduct. Research integrity is recognized as the attitude and habit of the researchers to conduct research according to appropriate ethical, legal, and professional frameworks and standards. The fields of research ethics and research integrity combine general ethical reflections, ethics and law as academic disciplines addressing research activities, moral attitudes of researchers, normative policies of stakeholders like sponsors or funding organizations, and various ethical expectations of civil society.

ENERI is based on existing networks, projects, and infrastructures that already initiated and developed important steps in sharing information, training, and capacity building. Research ethics committees, review boards, ombudspersons’ offices, research integrity offices, and supporting structures are the established bodies monitoring, accompanying, and assisting the process of responsible and justifiable research. Therefore, the European Network of Research Integrity Offices (ENRIO) and the European Network of Research Ethics Committees (EUREC) together with the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (All European Academies – ALLEA) mutually initiated ENERI in collaboration with experts in academic research ethics (RE) and responsible research and innovation (RRI), practitioners in training and education in research ethics, and specialists in e-communication and database design.

Work performed

The main objective of ENERI is to establish a new culture of good practice in research. The engagement of various stakeholders is necessary to find out what good scientific practice is. Therefore in September 2017 ENERI conducted a stakeholder workshop in Athens. This workshop was prepared already at the Think Tank Workshop held in January 2017 in Berlin and other meetings. During the two days in Athens different stakeholders (from universities, industry, science journalism, ministries, etc.) but also representatives from other European-funded projects were brought together. The central goal of the workshop was to reflect on the main questions in RE and RI from various perspectives and against different cultural backgrounds. These central questions are: What is good and bad practice in RE/RI? What are the challenges in avoiding bad practice in RE/RI? Which infrastructures for RE/RI do we need? What kind of research ethics committees (RECs) and research integrity offices (RIOs) do we need in Europe? What constitutes expertise and qualification in RE/RI? What can we learn from developments regarding training in RE/RI? What is needed for training in RE/RI? What tools are necessary to promote RE/RI? All these questions were the subject of very fruitful discussions during the two days in Athens and in the preparatory and follow-up meetings before and after. The main results of the workshop are: Bad practice results in bad science. A culture of good practice in RE and RI has to be established. The main criteria should therefore be: transparency and trust. More exchange between RECs and RIOs is needed. Stronger EU harmonization could help, but cultural differences cannot be ignored; they are given and will stay. A collaborative approach with input from all stakeholders is needed, in order to have guidelines that are broadly applicable, flexible, and fit for all interests. The different stakeholders came to the conclusion that the following skills/competences/qualifications constitute expertise in RE/RI: scientific literacy; awareness/understanding/interest in ethical principles/issues; diversity in backgrounds; assessment skills (benefits, risks, societal challenges); mediation/deliberation/decision-making skills; awareness of societal/cultural differences; education, experience, interpersonal skills. An open EU database of RE and RI experts could be very helpful. Certification is needed, but it should be a personally issued certification related to one’s portfolio/CV. A core curriculum should focus on basic knowledge in the field of RE and RI and the advanced curriculum could provide an in-depth analysis of the main issues in RE and RI. Initial training for committee/board members is the most important training, and should be a priority. For members of research ethics committees there are already established training schemes, but for members of ethics committees in the humanities and social sciences and for research integrity board members there is not much available, and this is the area where the ENERI project can make a true contribution in developing modules. From the very beginning of the discussion it was emphasized that the choice of a particular model depends on the purpose of the training: whether it should be a basic training to provide basic knowledge on the subject or should instead be a platform for mutual learning, sharing experiences, etc. This depends on the specific needs of the target audience. In line with this, it was generally thought that a training model based more on solely online participation would be more suitable for topics related to the core curriculum, while an advanced curriculum would most likely need a more blended kind of training that also includes contact days and face-to-face discussions.

Final results

By the end of the project the ENERI partners will develop specific training modules, which will help to train members of RECs and RIOs, researchers (including young researchers), teachers, and those who will or want to be involved as evaluators of research proposals and in other ethical assessment procedures. ENERI will find ways to make training materials easy accessible. Furthermore, ENERI will develop measurable indicators for the effectiveness of the proposed activities (in particular the success of training) and ENERI will find out which forms of certification could be helpful and which not.
ENERI will establish a dynamic database of experts in research ethics and research integrity, assess the feasibility of developing voluntary harmonization procedures and related certification in the fields of research ethics and research integrity, and develop a methodology to record and measure the implementation of new EU legal documents like the new regulation on clinical trials or other relevant normative documents.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.eneri.eu.