Responsible Research and Innovation

Research integrity helps to achieve high-quality research and innovation, which is conducted according to the highest standards. Researchers need to:

• Adhere to principles of integrity: honesty, rigour, transparency, open communication, care, respect, and accountability.
• Commit to maintaining the highest standards in all aspects of research and innovation:
  • Adopting best practices, such as relevant codes of conduct for data management, sharing research outputs, ensuring reproducibility
  • Abiding with rules and regulation, including ethical, legal and compliance requirements
  • Applying research integrity throughout the project lifecycle. It is a continuous process that includes engaging with university professional support teams and raising any concerns, dilemmas, and opportunities revealed by the research and innovation as they arise

QMUL research integrity framework is set out in more detail in Policy 2a: Queen Mary policy on research integrity (approved June 2024) [PDF 92KB]. 

You can find more information and guidance on our research integrity webpages.

For more information on data management and curation, see QMUL Research data management.

Research ethics governs the standards of conduct for researchers. Researchers need to think about potential risks for people, communities, animals, environment and how they will comply with best practice and any relevant regulation to mitigate and manage any such risks.

Human research

Any research involving human participants (including personal data or human tissue) may give rise to ethical risks and researchers must take steps to manage these risks effectively. To ensure that high ethical standards are maintained, QMUL operates the Queen Mary Policy 2b: Queen Mary policy on research with human participants [PDF 136KB].

Human research considerations are based on the main ethical principles that can help you when designing and conducting research that involves human participants or their data:

• Beneficence (benefit) and non-maleficence (no harm)
• Autonomy (informed consent)
• Justice (fair treatment, equitable benefits and burdens, and avoiding exploitation)
• Privacy (confidentiality/anonymity)

These considerations are regarded as universal and a necessary foundation for all research involving humans. If research involves human participants or their data, researchers will have to adhere to all the relevant requirements, including obtaining ethics approval, if required.

For more information on research with human participants and their data, see our webpages: Conducting research in the NHS, Conducting research with human participants (outside the NHS).

Animal Research

QMUL is committed to the highest standards of animal welfare and working towards the 3Rs::

• Reduce the number of animals needed in a procedure
• Refine procedures to cause the least possible distress to the animals
• Replace the use of animals in a procedure wherever possible.

Good practice guidelines and standards apply to all research involving the use of live animals, animal derived biological material and animal-derived data. In addition to the 3Rs, BBSRC, DEFRA, EPSRC, MRC, NC3Rs, NERC, Wellcome Trust and other AMRC charities produced the ‘Responsibility in the use of animals in bioscience research guidance.

In the UK, research using animals is regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and includes regulations on housing, environment, welfare, care, and health. All relevant animal experimentation at QMUL must be approved by the Home Office before it commences.

For more information and support see our animal research webpages.

Other ethical and moral concerns

Researchers need to consider the intended and unintended consequences of the research, e.g.:

• Potential dual-use applications (civilian and military)
• Potential to cause harm to people, communities, animals, environment
• Other intended/unintended ethical dilemmas, social transformations, etc.

For more information see UKRI guidance on Managing risks of research misuse policy and QMUL Trusted Research and Export Control webpages.

Collaborating with diverse partners, undertaking transdisciplinary research, and participating in multisectoral approaches can enhance innovation and creativity, provide diverse perspectives and help bridge cultural differences. Encouraging exchanges of ideas and knowledge can drive forward scientific progress and produce research outputs that address real-world problems and that are relevant to the needs of society. Research partnerships often lead to higher quality and more impactful research outcomes. However, they can also come with various risks that must be identified and managed:

Equitable research partnerships

Relationships between partners have to be equitable and based on fairness, respect, care and honesty. Research partnerships, particularly between high-income and lower-income settings, can be highly advantageous for both parties. A Global Code of Conduct for Equitable Research Partnerships provides guidance to researchers across all disciplines to ensure that international research collaborations are conducted ethically and equitably, specifically also to prevent unethical practices such as "ethics dumping," where research standards are lowered when working in less regulated environments.

Partnerships must respect international agreements and local laws and regulations, e.g. fair and equitable Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) concerning the use of genetic resources. For more information see QMUL’s guidance on the Nagoya Protocol and Access and Benefit Sharing.

Trusted Research agenda

‘Trusted research’ is a UK research and innovation sector term for protecting intellectual property, sensitive research, people and infrastructure from potential theft, manipulation and exploitation, including as a result of possible interference by hostile actors and protecting national security. It broadly involves:

• Due diligence on international collaborators, to identify any national security concerns, e.g. links to military/defence organisations,
• Project due diligence, to identify any concern of dual use/misuse (for military or human rights violations purposes),
• Compliance with legal and regulatory frameworks: Export Control, National Security and Investment Act 2021, National Security Act 2023 (Foreign Influence Registration Scheme), ATAS, etc.,
• Protection of data, materials and intellectual assets, including data security/Cybersecurity, IP protection via contractual and material transfer agreements.

Researchers must identify and mitigate potential risks stemming from collaborations and ensure adequate protection of their research by complying with legal requirements. For more information, guidance and support, see the QMUL Trusted Research and Export Control webpages.

Queen Mary is contributing cutting-edge research to the field of sustainability, environment and energy. Will your project contribute to global environmental challenge and goals (SDGs)?

We need to also acknowledge the potential negative effects our research operations may have on the environment. Researchers need to consider the impact of their research and innovation on carbon footprint, the physical and natural environment, and resources and how these impacts could be minimised:

• Reduce: reducing energy consumption, such as turning off equipment when not in use.
• Reuse: using second-hand research equipment, sharing equipment with other researchers, checking inventories before making purchases, repairing equipment, and avoiding single-use plastics.
• Recycle: utilising recycling facilities and materials made from recycled content.
• Travel: minimizing travel requirements by using online meetings and sustainable travel options (e.g., train vs. plane, economy vs. business class).
• LEAF laboratory accreditation: participating in certification scheme designed to enable staff and students to understand and improve the sustainability and efficiency of their laboratory areas.

For more information, guidance and support, see QMUL researching sustainably webpage.

Research and innovation activities should contribute positively to society and address pressing social challenges and needs. Key elements of socially responsible research include:

Open Research

Providing free access to research data, methods and results helps to reduce wasted resources from duplicated work, maximise the discovery and dissemination of research findings, bringing the results of scholarly research to anyone who wishes to read it. Researchers should publish their research as openly as possible while respecting laws and contractual agreements (e.g., GDPR, export controls, funder terms and conditions).

For more information, guidance and support, see QMUL Open Access webpages.

Stakeholder engagement

Actively involving the stakeholders like users, communities, the public, patients, policy makers, regulatory bodies, industry, civil society organisations, etc., in the research project strengthens and legitimises its objectives and its scientific approach towards societal relevance.

Researchers need to consider engaging with various stakeholders, so the research and innovation is done not “to” “for” or “about” them, but in consultation “with” them. This can include consultations, participatory methods, and transparent communications. Stakeholders help guide the research process to be ethically sound and socially desirable, considering long-term societal impacts.

For more information see our webpages: Public Engagement at Queen Mary, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE), Identifying and Engaging Policymakers (internal)

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are essential components of socially responsible research and innovation. By integrating EDI principles into research practices, researchers can ensure that their work is inclusive, equitable, and beneficial to all societal groups.

Responsible research involves designing studies that are inclusive of diverse populations. This means considering the needs and perspectives of underrepresented groups in the research process, including marginalised communities. By doing so, researchers can ensure that their findings are relevant and beneficial to a broader range of people.

Research practices should not discriminate against any group, and everyone involved should be treated with respect and dignity, including any participants as well as research team members. Researchers should also consider how their projects will impact employment creation, and skills development for research teams and collaborators.

For more information, guidance and support, see QMUL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion website.