Your government-funded research at a university lab has produced results, published in a peer-reviewed journal, that have great potential for commercial application.  A for-profit corporation requests a copy of your data, saying that they want this for use in their own research and that they have no intention of commercializing your results.  You strongly believe that the potential for commercial application is compelling and unavoidable.  How should you proceed?

ORI, along with other numerous organizations, is holding the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity. The conference will take place in Singapore from July 21 -24, 2010.

More information can be found at http://www.wcri2010.org.

An editorial in Lancet discusses the recent workshop in Strasbourg which addressed RCR training in Europe.

Read the Editorial: Lancet Editorial

Some would argue that education in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) has focused on learning rules - e.g., don’t fabricate or falsify data; don’t plagiarize; don’t engage in conflicts of interest. Some would posit that the focus of bioethics education has been on learning theory that guides researchers who are faced with looming ethical dilemmas - e.g., when a researcher must weigh the good of using human participants or animal subjects in their experimentation against the good of avoiding their harm. However, most researchers will not have to make decisions of such social magnitude frequently. On the other hand, more researchers may be faced with everyday ethical decisions that can create personal inner conflict. For instance, as competition for resources increases, a researcher might feel he or she has to make a decision that weighs the good that comes from objectivity in research against breaking a rule, for instance exaggerating preliminary data in a grant application, for the good of possibly sustaining his or her research program and staff (but also at the risk of losing everything). What educational programs, what research environment can be fostered, at our institutions to help researchers with such decisions, or better yet, to help them never have to make such decisions? Perhaps there is something that could be gained through greater integration of RCR education and bioethics education? What are your thoughts?

“Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)” is a phrase that encompasses a broad range of commonly accepted ethical professional research practices. One view of the meaning of RCR is that it is about an individual making choices in a research program that are ethical and legal, but also that are in-line with the individual’s own conscience, the value system upon which the research is based, and generally acceptable research practices of the scientific discipline within which the individual belongs. Responsible choices for research conduct probably should be well-considered, effective, efficient, timely, protective of resources, considerate of others, and at times innovative. In this sense, does responsible conduct of research include both the concepts of pride-of-ownership and stewardship? Many might agree that responsible conduct of research means making decisions about research practices that will:

(a) Protect animal subjects, human participants, research personnel, and the environment

(b) Be honest and transparent, not deceptive (e.g., falsifying, fabricating, or plagiarizing data or deceitful attribution of authorship)

(c) Be fair by not introducing unwanted bias into research results, conclusions, or inferences (e.g., conflicts of interest and commitment, sloppiness)

(d) Be benevolent, not be malicious (e.g., thievery of ideas, unfair criticism during peer review for personal gain; exploitive of others)

(e) Be open to creativity and innovation

(f) Protect the public trust

What are your thoughts about the meaning of responsible conduct of research?