Recommendations for "Research Integrity and the Organisation of Science"

2. Ensure Transparency in Collaboration with External Interests

Actions for RPOs & Institutional support officers

Implement clear guidelines for identifying and mitigating conflicts of interest, and establish institutional support structures for managing and communicating about such conflicts
Implement quality and legal advice mechanisms to support researchers navigate collaborations with external parties
Establish transparent guidelines to uphold impartiality and freedom of research in the context of external collaborations. Provide clear procedures for ensuring responsible practices across different categories of external collaboration
Safeguard the independence of science and promote public dialogue on the role and implications of private funding in universities and research organisations

Ensure that the arm’s-length principle is upheld to enable independent decisions and to avoid any doubt about individual integrity, independence, and impartiality
Establish clear agreements outlining the division of responsibilities and decision-making authority within each collaboration and ensure that these agreements are aligned with the nature of the collaboration (e.g. research- based public sector consultancy, co-funded research, etc.)
Transparently and responsibly disclose funding sources and any interest- driven aspects of work and research to ensure independence from external influences, including political pressures. These principles should also guide science mediation and communication practices
Promote transparency and strengthen self-regulation mechanisms in science communication, ensuring that communication is guided by integrity, independence, and disclosure of conflicts of interest

Secure transparency in funding and cooperation agreements
Implement quality and legal advice mechanisms to support researchers navigate collaborations with external parties
Ensure funding programmes that are explicitly insulated from partisan or interest-driven agendas, supporting open-ended research outcomes that are not dominated by the policy interests of current governing bodies
Support the development of a public discourse around research funding and collaboration with societal interests