On 12 June, 2019, the IRB Barcelona Board of Trustees approved a new version of the Institute's Code of Conduct, adapted to the CERCA Code of Conduct. This new version, drawn up by the Committee for Research Integrity, aims to ensure an environment that fosters quality research and to establish guidelines for the integrity of community members in their daily research work.
This new version of the document focuses on the integrity of research, transparency, open access to data and results, the management of industrial property, and scientific integrity, thus promoting responsible research that upholds the ethical principles of the Institute. The document also covers aspects related to health and safety, the publication and dissemination of papers, conflicts of interest, legal issues, and the management of research data, among others.
At the same Board of Trustees meeting, approval was also given to the guidelines, prepared by the Committee for Research Integrity, to be followed in the event of suspected scientific misconduct (IRB Barcelona Procedure in cases of suspected scientific misconduct). These guidelines are inspired by those of the CRG, which in turn are based on those of EMBL.
As part of the implementation strategy of the new Code of Conduct, a training plan has been devised for the research community. This plan includes, among others, a pilot course on scientific integrity, organised in November 2019 by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).
