Research ethics

The RCF is committed to following the guidelines of the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity, The Finnish Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and Procedures for Handling Alleged Violations of Research Integrity in Finland (PDF), and requires compliance with them also by RCF-funded researchers and other actors.

Applicants must always describe the ethical aspects of the research or activity in their applications. If, for example, the project involves the processing of personal data, the use of laboratory animals, research involving minors or other vulnerable persons, health issues, or the monitoring of emotions or other sensitive behaviour, or if the project involves dual-use products, the principal investigator or responsible person must demonstrate in sufficient detail how these issues have been taken into account. These aspects should be described as part of the description of good scientific practice in the research plan’s section ‘Responsible science’ (or in some cases with a separate appendix). In most RCF calls, the application form also includes a mandatory tab containing questions on research ethics.

The research-ethical aspects are among the criteria used in the review of applications. In the review, the information provided in the application is examined in the light of both the current legislation and the guidelines of the National Board on Research Integrity (PDF).

Key areas of research ethics:

In international cooperation and when applying for EU funding, we also require compliance with ALLEA’s European Code of Conduct for Research integrity (PDF). Finnish guidelines for good scientific practice also oblige researchers in their work abroad.

In addition, we recommend that RCF-funded researchers follow the following guidelines:

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