Research culture and environment – responsible and ethical research
29 Jan 2025
Upholding the highest levels of responsible and ethical research is integral to a thriving and supportive research culture. Find out how we have embedded good research practice, enabling researchers to produce work of the highest quality in its rigour, integrity, sustainability and creativity.
Upholding the highest levels of responsible and ethical research is integral to a thriving and supportive research culture. Responsible research encompasses the principles and practices that guide researchers in conducting their work with integrity, respect, and accountability. It is critical for research excellence and for maintaining public trust in research. The University has embedded a culture of good research practice, enabling researchers to produce work of the highest quality in its rigour, integrity, sustainability and creativity.
The University’s Responsible Research and Innovation Framework explains how our values, culture and practices create a cohesive environment where high-quality, ethical research can thrive and have a positive impact on society. It also ensures that our research is undertaken in a sustainable way, minimising the impact of research on environmental, social and economic resources.
Ethical research ensures that studies are designed and conducted in a way that protects the rights, dignity, and welfare of participants, especially vulnerable populations. It also ensures that the data collected is accurate, reliable, and used responsibly. This fosters trust in research findings within the research community, and with the public. Research integrity upholds honest and transparent research practices, preventing misconduct and maintaining trust.
Research governance, ethics, and integrity play crucial roles in fostering our responsible and ethical research culture. Our governance frameworks ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards, promoting accountability and transparency.
But a culture of responsible research goes beyond governance frameworks. It also includes considerations of research security and trusted research; how we help minimise threats and risks when undertaking research with external partners, and principles of research collaboration; who we work with and how we engage with them.
With these frameworks and resources, the University supports its researchers to maintain their academic freedom, develop international relationships and collaborations safely, and keep themselves and their work secure.
Some of the ways we support responsible and ethical research are listed below:
- The RRI Framework website supports researchers preparing funding applications and starting new projects, offering materials to assist them in designing responsible research.
- The University’s expectations of research integrity are set out in the our Code of Good Research Conduct; and we provide research integrity training for staff and PGRs.
- We provide comprehensive guidance on the ethical conduct of research involving human participants, enable research involving human tissue through our policies and procedures, and support the sponsorship of clinical trials and other health and social care research.
- Our Research Governance Pack provides guidance on conducting research in the NHS.
- Our Research Security Hub helps academics and research-related PS staff to keep themselves and their work safe.
- Our Policy on Responsible International Research Collaborations ensures that the University’s approach to collaboration align with its commitment to open and responsible research. The Policy clarifies the University’s approach to protecting its staff, students, research participants and collaborators from risks.
We are also looking at ways we can enhance support, so our processes actively enable researchers to undertake responsible and ethical research. For example, colleagues across the university are undertaking a new project that aims to create a more flexible and responsive system for engaged research, to address persistent barriers identified through scoping work.
Spotlights and case studies
Take a look at our spotlights and case studies - spotlights on environmental sustainability in research, trusted research and research security for more information on how you can use these frameworks in your research and case studies showcasing how University of Manchester researchers have used different frameworks and initiatives, such as the Responsible Research and Innovation Framework and clinical trials to strengthen their research. Be sure to look at our new Research Culture and Environment Hub for current and upcoming opportunities.
Our theme’s image
The image for this theme is ‘Luminous’ by Stuart Angiolini.
The images used to illustrate our Research culture and environment themes were submitted by UoM Postgraduate Researchers as part of the ‘Images of Research’ competition, part of our annual PGR Showcase. The images authentically demonstrate the real-world outcomes of our university’s research culture.
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