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Research code UMCG

    Research code UMCG

    To preserve scientific integrity, the Board of Directors of the UMCG has adopted a Research Code which came into effect on November 1, 2023. The UMCG Research Code provides researchers with principles and guidelines for ethical scientific research.

    Scope

    Staff members who perform research at the UMCG, including students, guest staff, support staff and management, and all UMCG employees who conduct research elsewhere in the world, are expected to be familiar with the Research Code and to act accordingly. The Research Code is based on the following principles: 
    • Honesty
    • Scrupulousness
    • Transparency
    • Independence
    • Responsibility

    Additionally, the Research Code addresses relevant legal and other agreements that should be complied with and explains how the UMCG supports researchers and others involved in research to comply with these principles and agreements. 

    New topics 

    Compared with the 2018 version of the Research Code, the following new topics have been added:​

    • Recognition and rewards at the UMCG 
    • Work pressure 
    • Diversity and inclusion
    • Social safety 
    • Genetically modified organisms (and biological agents) 
    • Gametes and embryos 
    • Genetic material from abroad (Nagoya protocol) 
    • Ionizing radiation (nuclear energy law) 
    • AI technologies 
    • Social impact and knowledge utilization 
    • Peer review of manuscripts and research proposals
    • General frameworks for external collaboration, including
      • Knowledge security
      • Rules on additional activities
      • The transparency register
      • Personal and family shares in companies providing services to the UMCG/UG
      • Transparency on additional activities
      • Conflicting interests
      • Gifts/earnings

    Review cycle

    The Research Code is not a static document. It will be updated at least once a year to comply with changes in national and international legislation, agreements, and insights.
    Date (version number)
         		 Improvement(s)
     
    November 2023 (version 1.0)  

    Where contradictions occur between the Dutch and English versions of the UMCG Research Code 2023, the Dutch version prevails.

    Please inform us about outdated information (see ‘Feedback about this page?’ at the bottom of each page).

    A new Code is expected in 2028.