Workshop on Integrity in Scientific Research

Timing: 9:30-13:00
Place: University of Trento, Class 3 - Law Building

***Streaming***

Research integrity refers to a set of principles and ethical and legal  values, of ethical duties and professional standards based on a  responsible and proper conduct  on the part of whoever is carrying out, financing, or assessing scientific research in addition to the institutions which promote and set the wheels of research in motion. The fundamental principles of research integrity are honesty, responsibility, reliability, respect for colleagues and ensuring a correct stewardship inherent in research in every way.

In recent years, the subject of research integrity has gained considerable visibility on the European agenda and the political debate regarding research integrity has grown significantly. In 2017, for example, the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity was published thanks to an initiative of ALLEA - All European Academies.

Integrity and research ethics are an integral part of  University institutional policy, that actively pursues proper scientific conduct and the fulfilment of the highest standards of quality in research. First and foremost, the university has a Code of Ethics and a Code of Conduct and has established the Ethics Committee for Experimentation with human beings - CESP (Comitato Etico per la Sperimentazione con l’essere umano), in order to evaluate proposals put forward by University researchers for projects which experiment on human beings.

Research integrity is also one of the  priorities underpinning strategic planning for  2017-2021. In 2017 it was decided that a delegate for research integrity for each department/centre should be selected and a work group created to launch the debate on research integrity and ethics, with the aim of promoting new university policies and procedures within the university. Since 2018 the university has been financing an indepartmental project of strategic relevance entitled Integrity of Trento Research - INTEGRA, with the specific aim of developing interdisciplinary skills of a legal, ethical and scientific nature, in roles that involve research, specifically in the field of life sciences and new technologies.

This workshop is included in the activities promoted as part of the INTEGRA project and is put forward as a chance for participants to consolidate their knowledge of the subject of research integrity. The workshop is also intended as an opportunity for discussion with the Department/Centre delegates for Research Integrity, in order to identify the most important and urgent themes which should be addressed at a university level, including:

• the definition of research integrity at a European level;
• the identification of the needs of each individual Department /Centre (or common to them)  with regard to this context;  
• detecting environments where the safeguarding of research integrity is not satisfactory and how this should be addressed;
• recognition of gaps in education in this area and courses of action and measures to bridge these gaps. 

Participants (around 50): open event

​Program

9.15 – 9.30 Registration

9.30 – 9.45 Welcome Remarks

• Professor Giuseppe Sciortino, Prorector for policies encouraging talent attraction and research enhancement, UniTrento

9.45 – 10.30 The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity 

• Professor Krista Varantola, Vice President of ALLEA - All European Academies, and member of ALLEA Permanent Working Group Science and Ethics

10.30 – 11.15 How to Implement Ethical and Integrity Guidelines: the role of the Ethics Committee

• Professor Giovanni Tognoni, Mario Negri Institut of Milan, President of APSS Trento Ethic Committee

11.15 – 11.30 Coffee break

11.30 – 11.45 Research Integrity at UniTrento: the INTEGRA project 

• Professor Cinzia Piciocchi, Vice-president: The University Animal Welfare Committee (OPBA), UniTrento

11.45 – 12.30 Open discussion

• Chair: Professor Carlo Casonato, Rector's delegate to the Ethics Committee on Experiments involving human beings, UniTrento

12.30 Awarding of the best UniTrento thesis on Bioethics and Biolaw

Event will take place in English, without translation.

If you are interested in participating in the workshop or if you need information, please send ad e-mail to: integra [at] unitn.it