Luxembourg Agency for Research Integrity (LARI)
Founding year
2016
History
The Luxembourg Agency for Research Integrity (LARI) was founded as the national body responsible for promoting research integrity and investigating cases of suspected research misconduct in 2016 and became fully operational in 2018 when a permanent secretariat was established and when the Commission for Research Integrity was appointed as independent committee within the agency to carry out investigations of alleged research integrity violations. LARI was jointly established by all Luxembourgish public research performing and research funding organizations as a non-profit organization financed through membership fees. Since its founding, the agency’s members are the University of Luxembourg, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), the Luxembourg Institute of Health, and the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER). Thus, LARI closely interacts with all public research institutions in Luxembourg and intersects with a variety of research disciplines, including natural sciences and engineering, computer science and informatics, medicine and health research, social sciences, law, and the humanities.
ENRIO member since
Structure
Non-profit organization under Luxembourgish law (“association sans but lucratif, a.s.b.l.”) financed through membership fees, yet operating independently from member organizations. LARI is governed by a Board of Directors with currently three members and a Secretary-General who serves as chief executive officer. Cases of alleged research misconduct are investigated by LARI’s Commission for Research Integrity, an independent committee comprised of currently seven international research integrity experts.
Main Tasks
LARI has a twofold mission:
- Promoting research integrity and preventing research misconduct through training and education, advice and guidance services, policy support, and awareness-raising.
- Investigating cases of suspected research misconduct and other unacceptable research practices and giving recommendations on corrective, restorative, and preventive measures to rectify proven research integrity breaches.
Preventive measures are the primary responsibility of the LARI secretariat and led by the Secretary-General, whereas investigative measures fall within the responsibility of the Commission for Research Integrity which, however, closely collaborates with the LARI secretariat in all communications with stakeholders.
Investigation
For details about the investigative work of LARI, please see https://lari.lu/best-practice-useful-links/investigations-cri-rules-of-procedure/
Training
LARI provides research ethics and integrity training via the CAPRI (Creative Approaches Promoting Research Integrity) program. Courses consist of a novel blend of didactic and hands-on creative activities. Coach Training Workshops are also provided as part of the LARI Coaching program. Some of the LARI sessions are open to external attendees for a registration fee. Contact LARI for scheduling or see https://lari.lu/updates/
Promoting Research Integrity
LARI offers a wide variety of measures to promote research integrity in Luxembourg. For example, LARI regularly offers research integrity trainings for researchers of all career stages (with an emphasis on early-career researchers) in close collaboration with its member organizations, especially (but not only) the University of Luxembourg. Furthermore, the staff of the LARI secretariat upon request provides advice and guidance to researchers affiliated with LARI member organizations on all issues related to research integrity and responsible conduct of research more broadly. LARI also supports its member organizations in developing internal policies and procedures conducive to research integrity whenever the agency’s advice is sought.
Other tasks: Investigating suspected research misconduct
The framework for investigations of alleged research misconduct is provided by the Rules of Procedure of the Commission for Research Integrity (CRI). The Rules of Procedure define the roles and responsibilities of the CRI, the LARI Secretary-General, the LARI Board, and LARI’s member organizations during and after investigations and, moreover, describe their respective overall roles in assuring and safeguarding research integrity. The normative guidance document of the CRI as well as LARI more generally is the latest version of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity.
The CRI conducts investigations in full independence from member organizations as well as persons involved in the case and acts as steward of the research community that protects the integrity of the scientific record. Recommendations to rectify research misconduct and other unacceptable research practices are addressed primarily at the organization involved in the case because the CRI cannot on its own enforce compliance with its recommendations but needs the collaboration from the organization involved.
More information on how investigations are carried out is available at https://lari.lu/lari-services/investigations-cri-rules-of-procedure/.
Contact
Tom Lindemann
Secretary-General
Luxembourg Agency for Research Integrity (LARI)
8, avenue des Hauts-Fourneaux
L-4362 Esch-sur-Alzette
Luxembourg