Fostering Responsible Research Practices

Responsible research is robust, reliable and relevant. Research that satisfies these requirements promotes trust in science and in the impact of research results. This cannot be taken for granted. Therefore, reflection on the functioning of the research system, research cultures and practices is needed. In this way, we can learn how to further promote responsible research practices and, consequently, safeguard reliable scientific knowledge.

In addition, new movements and developments exist, which are changing how research is done, such as open access publishing, rendering data accessible and reusable, citizen science and the new Recognition and Rewards policy. These movements and developments require new insights to safeguard responsible research practices both now and in the future.

The programme Fostering Responsible Research Practices has three objectives:

1. Providing an overview of Dutch initiatives for fostering responsible research practices and providing insights into how these initiatives function in the organisations concerned.
2. Understanding how systemic, cultural and individual factors influence responsible as well as questionable and fraudulent research practices.
3. Contributing to effective measures at the system, culture and individual level to encourage responsible research and prevent questionable and fraudulent research practices.

ZonMw will not organise any new funding rounds within this programme. A new programme, Promoting Good Science, has started in 2023.

The programme Fostering Responsible Research Practices is funded by 5 organisations: ZonMw, the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the Netherlands Federation of University Medical Centres (NFU), the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) and the Dutch Diabetes Research Foundation.

The programme has four pillars.

1. Open Call with the awarded projects
   The research projects provide knowledge about responsible research practices and questionable research projects. Such practices can occur at several levels: the science system, the culture within a department, faculty or institute, and at the level of the individual.
   
   Overview projects
    
2. National Audit
   The research aims to make an inventory of responsible research practices in the Netherlands and to identify best practices. In addition, improvements will be implemented on the basis of the knowledge acquired.
   Link to project (in Dutch)
    
3. Project life cycles
   By describing decision moments and actions throughout the entire life course of a study (grant application – experiment – analysis – archiving – policy/application) this project increases the knowledge about the life cycle of research projects. The aim is to implement evidence-based improvements.
   Link to project  (in Dutch)
    
4. National Survey
   In 2021, a national survey was conducted into integrity within (scientific) research. The main question was how we can obtain insight into the nature and causes of questionable research practices.
   Link to project  

The committee consists of researchers from different scientific fields. They provide advice about the quality and the management of the projects.