POLICY BRIEF
Implemen ing Resea ch E hics Go e nance in HEIs and RPOs
No embe 2025
Funded by he Eu opean Union. UK pa icipan s in Ho izon Eu ope P ojec i ecs
a e suppo ed by UK Resea ch and Inno a ion g an numbe s 10055935 (Uni e si y
o Cen al Lancashi e) and 10037820 (De Mon o Uni e si y). Views and opinions
exp essed a e howe e hose o he au ho (s) only and do no necessa ily e lec hose o
he Eu opean Union o he Resea ch Execu i e Agency o UKRI. Nei he he Eu opean
Union no he g an ing au ho i y no UKRI can be held esponsible o hem.
www.i ecs.eu
Funded by he Eu opean Union. UK pa icipan s in Ho izon Eu ope P ojec i ecs a e suppo ed
by UK Resea ch and Inno a ion g an numbe s 10055935 (Uni e si y o Cen al Lancashi e)
and 10037820 (De Mon o Uni e si y). Views and opinions exp essed a e howe e hose o
he au ho (s) only and do no necessa ily e lec hose o he Eu opean Union o he Resea ch
Execu i e Agency o UKRI. Nei he he Eu opean Union no he g an ing au ho i y no UKRI can
be held esponsible o hem.
POLICY BRIEF
Implemen ing Resea ch E hics Go e nance in HEIs and RPOs
No embe 2025
Why his policy b ie ?
Resea ch ins i u ions and indi idual esea che s mus conduc esea ch e hically and in acco dance wi h
no ma i e demands by bo h he academic sys em and socie y. A s ong esea ch e hics go e nance
s uc u e s eng hens esponsibili y and us in science. The i ecs p ojec has de eloped a ou -pilla
amewo k o guide he implemen a ion o esea ch e hics go e nance a Highe Educa ion Ins i u ions
(HEIs) and Resea ch Pe o ming O ganiza ions (RPOs). This policy b ie in oduces he i ecs amewo k and
p o ides ecommenda ions o ac ion, speci ically a ge ing leade s o HEIs and RPOs.
The i ecs amewo k
The i ecs amewo k is a ou -pilla amewo k
c ea ed o guide and assis he implemen a ion
o esea ch e hics go e nance s uc u es a
Highe Educa ion Ins i u es (HEIs) and Resea ch
Pe o ming O ganiza ions (RPOs). I o e s a
p agma ic way o plan, s uc u e, and o ganize
local e o s in a lexible manne . The ou pilla s
o he amewo k co espond wi h ou a eas o
ac ion; o each pilla , a ious measu es may be
implemen ed.
Pilla 1: E hics by aining
O e ainings in esea ch e hics, including he
e hics o eme ging echnologies
Why is i impo an ?
Educa ion, s a ing a an ea ly s age and con inuing
h oughou all ca ee s ages, enhances bo h he
esea che s’ capabili y o in eg a e e hics in o hei
p ac ice and hei app ecia ions o he impo ance
o e hics o hei wo k.
Pilla 2: E hics by design
P o ide adminis a i e suppo o esea ch e hics,
wi h clea di ision o esponsibili ies
Why is i impo an ?
P agma ic, anspa en , and suppo i e e hics
guidance—whe he om ad iso y se ices o
ele an commi ees—enables esea che s o
embed e hical conside a ions h oughou he
en i e esea ch and inno a ion cycle.
Pilla 3: E hics by scien i ic discou se
Conduc (and exploi ) esea ch on esea ch e hics
Why is i impo an ?
De eloping new concep s o esea ch e hics
ad ances he ield and lays a s ong scien i ic
ounda ion o esea ch e hics go e nance e o s,
including up- o-da e guidelines and adminis a i e
p ocedu es.
www.i ecs.eu
Funded by he Eu opean Union. UK pa icipan s in Ho izon Eu ope P ojec i ecs a e suppo ed
by UK Resea ch and Inno a ion g an numbe s 10055935 (Uni e si y o Cen al Lancashi e)
and 10037820 (De Mon o Uni e si y). Views and opinions exp essed a e howe e hose o
he au ho (s) only and do no necessa ily e lec hose o he Eu opean Union o he Resea ch
Execu i e Agency o UKRI. Nei he he Eu opean Union no he g an ing au ho i y no UKRI can
be held esponsible o hem.
Pilla 4: E hics by exchange
Es ablish pa hways o in e disciplina y exchange
on esea ch e hics
Why is i impo an ?
E ec i e communica ion pa hways and exchange
ne wo ks enable ac o s o a oid epea ing
mis akes, adop p o en bes p ac ices, and
gene a e added alue as well as new lea ning
oppo uni ies.
Recommenda ions
We encou age leade s o HEIs and RPOs o
implemen ac ions ac oss all ou pilla s o he
i ecs amewo k, always aking in o conside a ion
hei o ganiza ion’s needs, esou ces and exis ing
s uc u es. The ou pilla s a e mu ually suppo i e
o each o he ; each pilla , howe e , is likely o be
nu u ed o a di e en deg ee depending on he
o ganiza ion’s p o ile.
Pilla 1: E hics by aining
O e ainings in esea ch e hics, including
he e hics o eme ging echnologies, o
esea che s and membe s o esea ch e hics
commi ees.
O e e hics ainings a ea ly ca ee s ages and
h oughou a esea che ’s ca ee .
Iden i y g oups in need o aining and o e
e hics ainings ailo ed o hei needs.
Assign esponsibili ies o coo dina ing e hics
aining p og ams and o conduc ing ainings.
P o ide oppo uni ies o aine s o main ain,
imp o e, and ce i y hei skills.
Alloca e esou ces o sus ain aining p og ams.
Pilla 2: E hics by design
P o ide adminis a i e suppo o esea ch
e hics.
P omo e a cul u e o esea ch e hics ha
ecognizes esea ch e hics as an asse , no as a
bu den.
Balance lexibili y and accoun abili y in he
p o ision o adminis a i e se ices.
Speci y he di ision o esponsibili ies be ween
di e en ad iso y o consul ing se ices and
be ween suppo se ices and indi idual
esea che s o esea ch g oups.
P o ide oppo uni ies o suppo s a and
esea ch e hics commi ee membe s o
main ain and imp o e hei skills.
Ci cula e in o ma ion abou a ailable suppo
se ices ac oss he o ganiza ion.
Alloca e esou ces o sus ain and scale up
adminis a i e suppo .
Pilla 3: E hics by scien i ic discou se
Conduc esea ch on esea ch e hics opics and
concep s.
S imula e exchange be ween depa men s and
o ganiza ional uni s o help iden i y eme ging
challenges.
Exploi exis ing scien i ic esea ch o imp o e
p ocesses and guidelines.
Pilla 4: E hics by exchange
Es ablish communica ion pa hways and
exchange ne wo ks, in e nally and/o ex e nally
o he o ganiza ion.
Suppo in e disciplina y discou se, in e nally
and/o ex e nally o he o ganiza ion.
Pa icipa e in exis ing ne wo ks as ele an and
as applicable.
Respec p i acy and con iden iali y in
exchanges.
aining
O e ainings in esea ch
e hics
design
P o ide adminis a i e
suppo o esea ch
e hics
scien i ic
discou se
Conduc esea ch on
ese ch e hics
exchange
Es ablish pa hways o
in e disciplina y exchange
E hics
by
www.i ecs.eu
Funded by he Eu opean Union. UK pa icipan s in Ho izon Eu ope P ojec i ecs a e suppo ed
by UK Resea ch and Inno a ion g an numbe s 10055935 (Uni e si y o Cen al Lancashi e)
and 10037820 (De Mon o Uni e si y). Views and opinions exp essed a e howe e hose o
he au ho (s) only and do no necessa ily e lec hose o he Eu opean Union o he Resea ch
Execu i e Agency o UKRI. Nei he he Eu opean Union no he g an ing au ho i y no UKRI can
be held esponsible o hem.
Fu he Reading
The i ecs implemen a ion guide
The i ecs implemen a ion guide p o ides p ac ical
ad ice on how o implemen he i ecs amewo k in
p ac ice.
h ps://www.i ecs.eu/deli e ables-and- epo s/
How we did i
This policy b ie is based on esea ch conduc ed
in Task 5.3: In ol e pilo uni e si ies. Du ing he
p ojec , h ee uni e si ies, membe s o he i ecs
conso ium, ook s eps o imp o e esea ch
e hics go e nance in hei espec i e ins i u ional
con ex s; hei expe iences in o med he i ecs
amewo k and ela ed ou pu s. A consul a ion
wo kshop wi h HEIs and RPOs leade s was
o ganised by he Eu opean Uni e si y Associa ion
(EUA) o discuss he i ecs amewo k and in o m
ela ed ou pu s. Recommenda ions we e e iewed
by i ecs pa ne s and he i ecs S akeholde
Ad iso y Boa d.
www.i ecs.eu
Funded by he Eu opean Union. UK pa icipan s in Ho izon Eu ope P ojec i ecs a e suppo ed
by UK Resea ch and Inno a ion g an numbe s 10055935 (Uni e si y o Cen al Lancashi e)
and 10037820 (De Mon o Uni e si y). Views and opinions exp essed a e howe e hose o
he au ho (s) only and do no necessa ily e lec hose o he Eu opean Union o he Resea ch
Execu i e Agency o UKRI. Nei he he Eu opean Union no he g an ing au ho i y no UKRI can
be held esponsible o hem.
Abou i ecs
“Imp o ing Resea ch E hics Expe ise
and Compe encies o Ensu e
Reliabili y and T us in Science”
i ecs aims o ad ance esea ch e hics
expe ise and compe ences in new and
eme ging echnologies. The p ojec
ocuses on 4 eme ging echnologies (AI in
heal h and heal hca e; Ex ended eali y;
Genome edi ing (human/non-human);
Biobanking) and de elops, implemen s
and dissemina es aining ma e ial o
esea ch e hics e iewe s and (ea ly
ca ee ) esea che s.
Funding: Eu opean Resea ch Execu i e
Agency (HORIZON-WIDERA-2021-ERA-01)
Du a ion: 3 yea s (Oc obe 2022 o
Sep embe 2025)
G an : 3.8 M€
Coo dina o : Rheinische F ied ich-
Wilhelms-Uni e si ä Bonn (Bonn,
Ge many)
Conso ium: 18 o ganiza ions om 11
coun ies
Au ho s
he i ecs conso ium
Layou design
Radboud Uni e si y
Image c edi s
Pho o by B andon Mowinkel on Unsplash
www.i ecs.eu
[email p o ec ed]
i ecs.bsky.social
i ecs P ojec
