At EMBO, promoting excellence in the life sciences includes sharing knowledge and experience on the policy issues that shape the quality of the research ecosystem. This commitment runs through EMBO’s work on research integrity, research assessment reform and open science.
In this spirit, EMBO is releasing the EMBO Resource on Responsible Research, a freely available set of slide decks, speaker notes and explainer videos. The materials are designed to be adapted to local needs and contexts. Research integrity officers, trainers, supervisors and institutional leaders can use them to run sessions for their own communities, supported by an accompanying practical guide. Individual researchers can also use them for self-study.
The resource builds on the EMBO Fora on Responsible Research. Between 2016 and 2025, EMBO organised 27 Fora at institutes in 23 countries, reaching more than 1,000 researchers. Each Forum was held in collaboration with EMBO Members at their host institutions and was built around practical questions that reflect researchers’ everyday realities. Which daily scientific practices support responsible research, and which undermine it? What can institutions, leaders, supervisors and researchers do to foster an environment in which excellent research can thrive?
Sessions were tailored to local needs. Short presentations were combined with discussions of real misconduct cases and everyday dilemmas, covering research integrity, the responsibilities of supervisors, conflicts of interest, responsible research assessment, open science and scientific publishing. Each Forum ended with a meeting between the organisers and institutional leaders to explore how gaps in policy, awareness and training could be addressed at the institutional level.
Now that the series has concluded, the new resource brings together a decade of experience so that it can reach many more researchers than the in-person sessions could.
