11 February 2025 – On 30 January, an EMBO Forum on Responsible Research took place at the Institut de Biologie Valrose – iBV in Nice, France, hosted by EMBO Member Florence Besse. The knowledge-exchange event was the first of the four 2025 fora on Responsible Research organized by the EMBO Policy Programme at an institution in an EMBC country in close collaboration with EMBO Members.
These sessions on responsible research reinforce the EMBO mission to promote an environment where researchers can achieve their best work. The fora are targeted at senior postdoctoral researchers and principal investigators to provide them with insights and guidance on best practices related to research integrity, Open Science, and responsible publishing. The unique value of these events lies in the combination of direct discussions with researchers and follow-up conversations with institutional management, which take place the day after the forum. This approach allows for a comprehensive understanding of potential gaps in existing systems and tailored guidance to address them.
The event at the iVB explored important themes such as research assessment, research integrity, supervisors’ responsibilities, and the impact that AI tools and new publishing methods are having on the research system. The talks touched on international initiatives like DORA and CoARA, both of which aim to relieve pressures on researchers by shifting current approaches to researcher assessment away from publication-based metrics. The group shared ideas such as evaluating the significance of the science itself and actively promoting the visibility of studies that have been reproduced.
The discussion with senior management following the workshop led to ideas for developing comprehensive research integrity training with the appropriate lab context for all staff joining the institute, embedding research integrity training into lab meetings, broadcasting internal seminars more widely or having an open seminar related to good scientific practices, and improving access to resources and support via the website. After the forum, Besse wrote, “Thanks to your help, we have defined a first set of actions to be implemented. We won’t wait to start improving our practice, taking advantage of the awareness and constructive energy raised by your visit.”
EMBO will deliver the next forum in Brno, Czech Republic, at the end of February.
More information about the upcoming fora is available online.
If you are an EMBO Member and would like to host an EMBO Forum on Responsible Research in your institute, please contact the Policy team at for further details.
