The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity

4.ALLEA Standing Committeeon Science and Ethicsl l lALLEA has been working on the issue of scientificand research integrity since the mid-1990’s. Theissue was first broached by Pieter Drenth duringthe ALLEA Conference on ‘European Scientistsbetween Freedom and Responsibility’ in 1996. Eversince, and especially in response to the recommendationscontained in the ESF Science Policy Briefing‘Good Scientific Practice’ (2000) which allotted aspecific role to the Academies in formulating codesof good scientific practices, the ALLEA StandingCommittee on Science and Ethics has been devotingattention to the topic of trust in science. In 2003,ALLEA published the ‘Memorandum on ScientificIntegrity’, which was an adaptation for a Europeanaudience from a Dutch document issued by theRoyal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences,and which subsequently was translated into severallanguages. It has been in use in many countries untiltoday.ALLEA President (and later Honorary President)Pieter Drenth presented the Memorandum onnumerous occasions also outside of Europe andin international organisations (UNESCO), and heparticipated in OECD’s co-ordinating Committeefor facilitating international research misconductinvestigations (2007-2009).More closely related to the ESF activity, ALLEAhosted chairs’ and cross-working group meetings ofthe ESF Member Organisation Forum on ResearchIntegrity and, in June 2009, a consultative meetingwas convened with ca. 30 Member Academies thatdebated in detail and improved in many ways theearlier drafts and ultimately agreed on the Code ofConduct.As a follow-up, ALLEA is engaged in awarenessraising activities among the scientific and scholarlycommunity across Europe. Beyond Europe, ALLEAconvened a workshop with Asian Academies inSingapore in 2010 on ‘Strengthening researchintegrity’ in global research collaboration, and isnow participating, as an European inter-academynetwork, in the development of global recommendations(IAP).19The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity