Question 9638 — research and innovation

Summary

Scientific integrity ensures that research activities are honest and scientifically rigorous. It is characterized by a set of principles and rules governing research activities and is essential for maintaining trust between society and actors in the academic world. According to the 2016 Corvol report (see appendix 1), the vast majority of researchers scrupulously respect the principles of scientific integrity. Cases of non-compliance are rare and are no more frequent in France than in other European or North American countries. Awareness of these breaches of scientific integrity has been growing for more than twenty years. In Europe, the Horizon 2020 program has placed the promotion of ethical, honest and responsible research and innovation at its very first priorities in. In France, the first measures to promote scientific integrity were taken in the mid-1990s by a few organizations. Then, since 2015, a national charter of ethics for research professions has been signed by all major research organizations, by the Conference of University Presidents and several universities, by hospitals (APHP, Hospices Civils de Lyon) and by the National Agency for Research. This charter establishes 7 principles of integrity: - Respect for legislative and regulatory systems; - Reliability of the research work; - Communication ; - Responsibility in collective work; - Impartiality and independence in evaluation and expertise; - Collaborative work and accumulation of activities; - Training. It is part of a series of publications intended to raise awareness among all research stakeholders the fundamental principles of scientific integrity and to have them adopt them (see appendix 1), including the report "Review and proposals for the implementation of the national charter of scientific integrity" submitted by Pierre Corvol to the Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research on June 29, 2016. This report recommends 16 measures for the implementation of the national charter of ethics for professions in research (see appendix 2). Following this report, a 2016 decree conferred a training mission on ethics and scientific integrity to all French doctoral schools. In 2017, a department dedicated to research integrity, the French Office of Scientific Integrity or OFIS, was created at the High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES). Located within an administrative authority independent, the OFIS will be able to ensure an observatory and reference role for all questions relating to scientific integrity, excluding disciplinary and criminal questions relating to the treatment of breaches of scientific integrity. The president of the OFIS Integrity Council and its 12 members were appointed on December 1, 2017 and June 21, 2018 for a term of 4 years. The director of OFIS should be appointed soon, as well as scientific advisors. In addition, circular no. 2017-040 of March 15, 2017 details the modalities for implementing a scientific integrity policy within research operators as well as the measures intended to support it at the national level. The said circular creates a network of scientific integrity referents which included around sixty members designated by their establishments in March 2018. (see appendix 3). These referents assist the managers of research operators in training in scientific integrity, the establishment of a transparent referral system, in taking into account questions of ethics and scientific integrity in projects and in handling cases of breach of scientific integrity. Appendices 1/ List of major position texts on scientific integrity 2/ the 16 measures from the 2016 Corvol report 3/ Scientific integrity referents 4/ The organization of the CNRS in terms of scientific integrity and ethics Appendix 1: List of major position texts on scientific integrity Publication of “Good practices for promoting scientific integrity and preventing scientific fraud” by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2007). Declaration of Singapore on Scientific Integrity (2010). Publication of the guide “Promoting integrity and responsible research” from the CNRS Ethics Committee (COMETS - 2014). Recommendations of the European Research Council (ERC) in its strategic orientation document on the treatment of integrity breaches (2012), or the declaration of “Policy on ethics and scientific integrity” of the National Research Agency Research (2014). Report “Review and proposals for implementing the national charter of scientific integrity” submitted by Pierre Corvol to the Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research on June 29, 2016. Publication of the guide “Practicing honest and responsible research” from the CNRS Ethics Committee (COMETS) in March 2017. Official texts Circular letter relating to the scientific integrity policy within the higher education establishments and their groupings, research organizations, scientific cooperation foundations and institutions contributing to the public service of higher education and research, hereinafter referred to as "research operator(s), and the handling of cases of breaches of scientific integrity. http://circulaires.legifrance.gouv.fr/index.php?action=annonceCirculaire&hit=1&inverseAccueil=1&r=41955 Order of May 25, 2016 establishing the national training framework and the modalities leading to the delivery of the national doctoral diploma: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=CAACC458FAD35C711EDDA08CD2C7E893.tplgfr27s_3?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000032587086&dateTexte=20170427 Official Bulletin No. 44 of December 21, 2017 (NOR : ESRB1700227S - decision of 11/27/2017): Appointment of the president and members of the Scientific Integrity Council of the French Office of Scientific Integrity. Official bulletin no. 25 of June 21, 2018 (NOR: ESRB1800058S - decision of 3/27/2018): Appointment of members of the scientific integrity council of the French Office of Scientific Integrity. Appendix 2: the 16 measures of the 2016 Corvol report Proposal No. 1: Establish a national nomenclature of misconduct allowing an inventory in establishments of cases of breaches of scientific integrity on the basis of a common and unambiguous typology. Proposal No. 2: Make national resources on scientific integrity available to organizations and universities. Proposal No. 3: Rely on the decree of November 23, 1988 amended on HDR which provides “The jury will carry out an examination of the value of the candidate, assesses his or her ability to design, direct, lead and coordinate research and development activities” to raise awareness among institutions and especially their juries about verifying the HDR applicant's knowledge of the framework and integrity practices. Proposal No. 4: Explicitly introduce at the level of article 3 paragraph 3 of the draft reform of the doctoral studies decree “the acquisition of a broad scientific culture including an introduction to research ethics and scientific integrity. Proposal No. 5: Add to Article 3 paragraph 3 of the draft reform of the doctoral studies decree: “the Doctoral School must ensure that each student has received awareness of ethics and scientific integrity”. Proposal No. 6: Encourage participatory and essentially “bottom-up” training up.” Allow young doctors trained in scientific integrity in their doctoral school to contribute to the training of following generations. Proposal No. 7: Establish a national, “labeled” site or digital space where training tools could be freely accessible for supervisors and students. Promote the pooling and harmonization of training tools (distance learning, guides, case banks, etc.). Proposal No. 8: Establish for each establishment a list of scientific integrity resource persons (name and contact details), ensure the implementation of training on ethics and scientific integrity in the establishments. Proposal No. 9: Ask that the ANR, like European research agencies, condition the funding of research projects on an ethics and integrity policy scientist of the beneficiary institution. Proposal No. 10: Encourage establishments to ensure that ethics and scientific integrity are identified in the Theses Charter. Request that HCERES specifically examine their implementation method. : Encourage HCERES to evaluate the scientific integrity policy of 1/ doctoral colleges, 2/ COMUE and associated or merged establishments. Proposition No. 11: Develop and make available a national legal guide detailing precisely the types of sanctions in the event of a breach of scientific integrity, their administrative and legal treatment methods, the texts and case law applicable in this area. Proposal No. 12: Encourage the promotion and implementation of research on integrity training methods and their effects, on the issues epistemological aspects of ethics, integrity and scientific responsibility as well as their societal consequences. Proposal No. 13: Better involve the Academies in matters of integrity in science and promote their work in this area. Proposal No. 14: Develop and disseminate a structuring national reference text allowing, among other things, to strengthen scientific integrity in establishments. Proposition No. 15: Establish a national information space on the specific issue of scientific integrity in the form of a specific insert on the institutional site recherche.gouv.fr, listing and making available to all audiences all documentary resources and ministerial initiatives on this subject. Proposal No. 16: Create an office, a cell, an office, the OFIS (French Office of Scientific Integrity), structure transversal, independent managing questions of scientific integrity (expertise, observatory, institutional link, etc.). Appendix 3: Scientific integrity referents The HCERES lists the referents on its site in a list with their name and their dedicated web space: https://www.hceres.fr/Les-referents-integrite-scientifique Appendix 4: The organization of the CNRS in matters of scientific integrity and ethics The CNRS presented the 13 November 2018 its action plan on scientific integrity and ethics. The press release can be found at: http://www2.cnrs.fr/sites/communique/fichier/dossier_de_presse_def_v2.pdf

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