Symposium 3: Implications of research integrity for public trust in academic research
Tracks
Banqueting Hall
| Monday, June 3, 2024 |
| 17:00 - 18:30 |
| Banqueting Hall |
Details
In a context where public trust in institutions, including academic ones, and expertise is supposedly eroding, academics have repeatedly referred to the need for strict alignment with principles of research integrity (RI). However, while it is intuitively appealing that research misconduct would harm public trust and RI principles might foster trust, evidence for this claim is thin. Initial studies seem to point to public agnosticism. Moreover, general statements about demanding RI to gain public trust obfuscate the potentially legitimate reasons for science skepticism, nor do they provide clarity on diverse stakeholders’ roles, including science communicators’, policymakers’, research funders’ and researchers’.
To address these questions, three Horizon-Europe-funded projects are currently studying public trust in research and the relation to themes like RI, open science, and science communication. In this symposium, the projects IANUS, POIESIS and VERITY will share their preliminary findings (3×20 min), focusing on different aspects of trust in science investigated in our projects, challenges and actions for different stakeholders. Subsequently, we will open up for an interactive audience discussion (30 min) to widen perspectives and explore our findings’ implications for non-European and policy contexts. The discussion will be structured around poll-questions based on project findings or open questions.
Speaker
Prof. Hub Zwart
Professor of Philosophy and Dean
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Why warranted trust in science is never a given, while scepticism is an intrinsic component of trustworthiness – findings from the IANUS project
Dr. Serge Horbach
Assistant Professor
University of Aarhus
On the role of mediating actors in building trust through research integrity and societal integration – findings from the POIESIS project
Dr. Agata Gurzawska
Research Manager / Cluster Lead Ethics, Human Rights & Emerging Tech
Trilateral Research IE
Re-defining the ecosystem of trust in science: the role of stewards of trust in changing research environments – findings from the VERITY project
Chair
Serge Horbach
Assistant Professor
University of Aarhus
Moderator
Jennifer Byrne
Conjoint Professor
The University Of Sydney, NSW Health Pathology
