Local workshops will support a vital dialogue on guidelines and dilemmas.

2021.07.01 | Line Rønn

The process will support a shared understanding of fundamental values and help to ensure a strong and open culture, where participants can discuss the questions and dilemmas that they encounter in their work. Photo: ThisIsEngineering from Pexels

All departments and centres at Aarhus University will hold a workshop on responsible conduct of research and freedom of research before the end of 2021. The senior management team took the decision to implement this in April – and the first workshops will begin in the autumn.

How and when the local workshops will be held is up to the individual department, but regardless of form, the workshop will be a follow-up on the compulsory online course Research Integrity at Aarhus University, which all members of academic staff have completed. (If you are one of the few who has not yet taken the course, you can find it here).

Vice-dean for Research Hans Erik Bøtker emphasises the importance of having a local dialogue about guidelines and dilemmas.

"Responsible conduct of research and freedom of research are the foundation of the university's activities and wider importance. It is therefore important that all staff – managers as well as employees – who carry out research, public sector consultancy or in other ways collaborate with the rest of society, have an ongoing dialogue about the topic," he says.

The workshop will be dialogue-based, and the local anchoring at the departments and centres will ensure that the specific topics discussed are topical and relevant to the research environments. The process will support a shared understanding of fundamental values and help to ensure a strong and open culture, where participants can discuss the questions and dilemmas that they encounter in their work.

All members of academic staff will receive an invitation to the workshop after the summer holidays.

Read more:

• Policy for research integrity, freedom of research and responsible conduct of research at Aarhus University: https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/administration/researchandtalent/responsible-conduct-of-research/policy-for-research-integrity-freedom-of-research-and-responsible-conduct-of-research-at-aarhus-university/
  
  
• Ground rules for research collaboration with an external party at Aarhus University: Ground rules for responsible conduct of research and research freedom in regard to collaboration with external parties (au.dk)
  
  
• The Danish Code of Conduct for Research Integrity: Publication (ufm.dk)
  
  
• Principles and recommendations for research-based collaboration, from Universities Denmark: Principles-and-recommendations-for-research-based-collaboration-and-consultancy.pdf (dkuni.dk)