VIRT²UE - Virtue based ethics and Integrity of Research: Train the Trainer program for Upholding the principles of the European code of conduct

Recognizing the importance of addressing ethics and research integrity in Europe, the All European Academies (ALLEA) has drawn up a European code of conduct for researchers.

This is an important step. Its consistent application however requires wide spread dissemination. Moreover, researchers not only need to have knowledge of rules and codes, but also be able to truly uphold and internalize the principles explicated in the code. They need to learn how to integrate them in their everyday practice and understand how to act in concrete situations.

To learn this, specific education and training is needed. This project has set the aim to develop a European-wide training programme aimed at fostering upholding and internalization of the principles of the European Code of Conduct for Scientific Practice. VIRT2UE aims to develop a training programme and to train trainers across Europe to enable ethics and research integrity teaching focusing on understanding and upholding the principles of the European code of conduct.
Research team

Coordinator: Professor Dr. Guy Widdershoven, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center
Professor Erika Löfström, University of Helsinki
Project activities

VIRT2UE aims to develop a training programme and to train trainers across Europe to enable ethics and research integrity teaching focusing on understanding and upholding the principles of the European code of conduct. In order to achieve this, objectives include to:

  1. Conduct a conceptual mapping amongst stakeholders of virtues which are crucial for good scientific practice and their relation to the principles of the European Code of Conduct.
  2. Identify and consult ethics and research integrity trainers and the wider scientific community to understand existing capacity and deficiencies in ethics and research integrity educational resources.
  3. Develop an innovative train-the-trainer programme that provides trainers with tools to foster researchers’ moral virtues and promotes the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity.
  4. Create and update training materials for trainers and researchers.
  5. Implement, disseminate the train the trainer programme across Europe, ensuring the training of a significant number of trainers for each country.
  6. Evaluate the training programme in terms of trainers’ and researchers’ needs, and use the evaluation results for continuous programme development
Cooperation and funding

Funding
H2020 SwafS-27-2017, project number: 787580, 2018-2021

Cooperation

  1. STICHTING Vrije Universitet Amsterdam Medical Centre
  2. KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
  3. SVEUCILISTE U SPLITU MEDICINSKI FAKULTET
  4. ÖSTERREICHISCHE AGENTUR FUR WISSENSCHAFTLICHE INTEGRITAT, AUSTRIA
  5. EUROPEAN NETWORK OF RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEES (EUREC)
  6. UNIVERSITETET I OSLO
  7. ANKARA UNIVERSITESI
  8. NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS
  9. HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
  10. LATVIJAS UNIVERSITATE
  11. UNIVERSIDADE CATOLICA PORTUGUESA
  12. UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DELL'INSUBRIA
Contact information

Professor Erika Löfström: erika.lofstrom@helsinki.fi