Aspect of the debate on scientific integrity at I2SysBio

On Friday, July 12, an informal debate on scientific integrity was held led by Manuel Porcar, researcher in the Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology group at I2SysBio. Michele Garfinkel, head of the Scientific Policy program at the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), and Víctor de Lorenzo, from the National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC, Madrid) participated and spoke with around twenty young researchers from I2SysBio.

The debate on scientific integrity has focused on various aspects related to bad practices in scientific research, conflicts of interest, the relationship between supervisors and tutors and students or authorship problems, among others. Michele Garfinkel has pointed out that there is also cultural diversity in how to address integrity issues, given the differences in regulations and controls in countries such as the United States, China or the European Union. In any case, he pointed out that a good part of the responsibility for implementing control mechanisms lies with the institutions closest to the researchers, such as the institutes. For his part, Víctor de Lorenzo has suggested that, compared to the past, there is now much more sensitivity to poor scientific practices. The speakers and attendees have agreed on the need to implement training offers on scientific integrity, as well as effective mechanisms to avoid or, in the worst case, report and penalize bad practices. Michele Garfinkel has recommended the online educational materials developed by her EMBO department.

Michele Garfinkel and Víctor de Lorenzo lead teams that are part of the European project BioRobooST on standards in synthetic biology coordinated by Manuel Porcar.

• Information on scientific integrity in EMBO.