SPOTLIGHT: UKRIO
UKRIO (UK Research Integrity Office) is an independent organisation that provides expert guidance and support to universities, research organisations, and other stakeholders on research integrity and good research practice.
Established in 2006, UKRIO offers a range of services to its clients, including training, advice, and investigation of allegations of research misconduct. The organisation works to promote and uphold the highest standards of research integrity, providing a vital resource for institutions seeking to maintain and enhance their research excellence.
UKRIO collaborates with a range of partners, including funders, policy makers, and international organisations, to promote the importance of research integrity and good practice. The organisation is committed to ensuring that research is conducted in an ethical and transparent manner and to promoting public trust and confidence in the research process.
With its specialist expertise and reputation for excellence, UKRIO plays a vital role in safeguarding the integrity and quality of research in the UK and beyond.
Through detailed consultation, the always possible team helped UKRIO overhaul their research ethics training and support offer for universities.
UKRIO’s annual Conference 2022 theme was: ‘Good research practice: culture, environment and sustainability’. Speakers from across the research community came together to discuss key topics in research integrity. Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser opened the second day of the conference, sharing his perspective on good research practice.
Other keynote speakers were: Dr Elisabeth Bik, winner of the 2021 John Maddox Prize Professor Astrid Eichhorn, chair of the ALLEA Working Group Climate Sustainability in the Academic System Professor James Wilsdon, Director, Research on Research Institute (RoRI).
UKRIO have recently produced a new 2023 reveiew which looks at the tensions and repercussions faced by organisations when they investigate possible cases of research misconduct and communication about them. Through consultation with institutions and practising researchers, it will identify ways that these tensions are, or can be, overcome.
In 2019, UKRIO was awarded the inaugural World Conference on Research Integrity Award for Excellence in Research Integrity Practice by the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity (SSoRI) Foundation. This award recognised the UKRIO’s “outstanding contribution to promoting research integrity in the United Kingdom.”.
