Research Integrity in the Context of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) Framework

Abstract

In April 2017 the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, organized a national consultation on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). Five key issues aligning in the RRI framework were discussed in the meeting, which are namely public engagement, open access, gender equality, science education, and ethics. As pointed out by the expert panelists, the aspects of ethics in research and academia include the research integrity, minimization of research misconduct and plagiarism, besides a few others. Recently launched “RRI-Practice Report from National Case Study: India”, extensively analyzed the public policy instruments facilitating the governance of responsible research in India. The fundamental tenets of responsibility in research and innovation are to be based on the ideas of Access, Equity, and Inclusion (AEI), as identified by the said country case study. On the other hand, the idea of Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) was advocated by the Prime Minister of India in lines with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) during the 104th Indian Science Congress, 2017. RRI framework addresses many of the critical issues related to SSR. This paper explores the opportunities and challenges in the RRI Framework while ensuring the research integrity in India. This paper includes the highlights from the INSA Policy Statement on "Dissemination and Evaluation of Research Output in India" (2018), UGC (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations (2018), and RRI-Practice’s “Report from National Case Study: India” (2018).