Seven steps to strengthen research ethics governance
The ETHNA System project delivered a step-by-step guide on how to design ethics governance systems, building on internal resources and leadership, and monitor the system once this is in place. To develop this approach, ETHNA System looked at the latest management practices and tools that are designed to improve integrity, gender perspectives and public engagement in research and higher education, and that are gaining traction. These practices include developing codes of ethics and good practices, setting up ethics committees and implementing an effective means of reporting bad practices. However, there is still a lack of awareness of how these practices can facilitate research ethics governance, as reflected in the notable lack of integration of such methods.
Designing an integrated ethics system
The ETHNA consortium sought to devise an ethical governance system, to help research organisations put such practices in place. “Our aim was to develop an easy-to-use and implementable guide, based on recent advances in European and international research,” explains project coordinator Elsa González-Esteban, from Jaume I University in Spain. To achieve this, the project brought together an interdisciplinary team with expertise in fields including organisational ethics, gender equity theory, public engagement and open access. “During the first year, we shared theoretical and practical sources fundamental to designing an integrated system of research and innovation ethics governance,” says González-Esteban. “We wanted this system to be implementable across different types of organisations, for example those that fund and those that conduct research or innovation.”
Ethical governance system for researchers
This collaborative work resulted in an approach called the ETHNA System. This system involves seven steps, and includes four integrated instruments that are needed to deliver responsible research. These instruments are: a code of ethics and good practices for researchers or people involved in research and innovation (R&I) processes; an ethics committee on R&I; an ethical line (communication channel for involved stakeholders); and a system of performance and monitoring indicators for annual or biannual reporting. The system was piloted at six organisations in Bulgaria, Estonia, Norway, Portugal and Spain. Key insights gleaned from these pilots have been summarised in the project’s Five-year Sustainability Plan, along with an accompanying manual on how to coordinate and train staff.
Making ethical governance a reality
“We were able to develop and publish a number of practical guides and resources for the development of an ethical governance system,” notes González-Esteban. These include a seven-step toolbox, which covers issues such as creating an action plan, establishing monitoring indicators and putting in place an internal communication plan. Three handbooks on stakeholder engagement have also been published, along with a blueprint for institutional change. In addition to the various project resources published, project milestones and examples of the latest research on integrity, open access and public engagement have been made available. “I think that among the project’s results, our Open Access book on ethics and responsible research and innovation in practice also really stands out,” adds González-Esteban. “This is the culmination of over three years of dedicated project work.” González-Esteban and her team believe that the ETHNA System – along with its impressive list of resources – will help to make ethical governance within research institutions far more feasible and implementable.
Keywords
ETHNA System, research ethics, governance, gender, education
