Launch of The Munster Statement on the Principles of Research Ethics and Research Integrity
Background
In Higher Education Institutions there is a growing emphasis on promoting good research practices in all aspects of research, including everything from fundamental research to applied research to commercialisation. Research ethics (RE) and research integrity (RI) underpin research activity and excellence and are considered a critical component of the basis for researchers to trust each other as well as the research record, and reinforce the public’s trust to science and scientific outcomes. However, with the multitude of high-level guidelines in existence, developing a statement that articulates a consistent approach to RE and RI across INGENIUM is essential.
Cover of The Munster Statement on the Principles of Research Ethics and Research Integrity (English).
On Wednesday, 28 May 2025, The Munster Statement on the Principles of Research Ethics and Research Integrity was launched in a hybrid event in Munster Technological University (MTU). The Munster Statement outlines the principles of RE and RI, along with the closely related terms research misconduct and unacceptable research practices, aligned across INGENIUM. The Munster Statement is available in ten languages and can be downloaded from SWORD.
MARIE – Multidisciplinary Approach to Research Integrity and Ethics
With RE and RI relevant to research across all disciplines, it is crucial that a statement on their good practice is based on experience across multiple disciplines and jurisdictions. To address this need, the INGENIUM alliance has supported the creation of MARIE – Multidisciplinary Approach to Research Integrity and Ethics – who led the development of The Munster Statement. The purpose of this statement is to support researchers across INGENIUM, through mandating a steadfast commitment to clear and consistent RE and RI principles across all levels of their collaborations. This commitment should, as far as possible, avoid incidences of research misconduct and unacceptable research practices occurring.
MARIE is a project funded by INGENIUM Research Groups 2024, with members’ expertise ranging across numerous fields, including mathematics, engineering, informatics, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, healthcare, bioethics, applied ethics, and sociology. (The list of MARIE team membership is at the end of this article.)
Some of the MARIE members meeting for the first time in-person, the day before the launch.
Drawing on MARIE members’ extensive collective multidisciplinary knowledge of RE and RI implementation to further embed good research practices ensures that the outputs from MARIE will be beneficial across multiple disciplines in the INGENIUM alliance, thus solidifying INGENIUM’s role at the forefront of RE and RI initiatives. Through a collaborative effort across the INGENIUM alliance, and with valuable input from local stakeholders, the MARIE project members successfully developed The Munster Statement, which we hope will significantly enhance ethical research practices and foster a culture of integrity across all member institutions. The Munster Statement is supported by the INGENIUM Research School.
Launch
The first part of the hybrid launch commenced with a welcome from Dr Tom Farrelly, Lecturer in the School of Health and Social Sciences, MTU. This was followed by an opening address from Prof. Hugh McGlynn, Vice President Research & Innovation, MTU, and a keynote presentation from Dr Maura Hiney, Chair of the ALLEA Permanent Working Group on Science and Ethics. Dr Seán Lacey, MARIE Principal Investigator and Research Integrity & Compliance Officer, MTU, closed part one of the launch with an overview of The Munster Statement.
Dr Tom Farrelly welcoming participants to the hybrid launch.
In the second part of the launch Dr Oskar MacGregor, Senior Lecturer in Informatics, University of Skövde presented on “Yet Another Set of Guidelines? The Importance, and Non-Redundance, of The Munster Statement”. This was followed with a presentation from Prof. Aristotel POPESCU, Professor in Mechanical Engineering, „Gheorghe Asachi“ Technical University of Iaşi on “Ethics in Engineering: Upholding Professional Integrity”. Dr Seán Lacey closed the event with a short presentation on “The Munster Statement – In Practice”.
Prof. Hugh McGlynn providing the opening address
A recording of the event is available from https://youtu.be/n1aWdrfsN9A.
The event was a tremendous success, with strong support from colleagues locally, nationally and internationally at the in-person gathering, as well as great engagement from participants online.
Prof. Aristotel POPESCU presenting on Ethics in Engineering: Upholding Professional Integrity.
Acknowledgements
Dr Michael Hall (far right), INGENIUM Partner Coordinator, with some of the MARIE team members
The MARIE team would like to acknowledge the INGENIUM Research School for supporting the MARIE project and subsequently The Munster Statement. Sinéad Hanrahan, Digital Scholarship Librarian MTU, for minting the DOIs to The Munster Statement and uploading the documents to the MTU Institutional Repository, Marine LE MERCIER, Université de Rouen Normandie (URN) for being the point of contact with URN, along with Sinéad McDonnell, Agnes Looney, Brendan Flaherty and Jeremiah Spillane, MTU, for coordinating the logistics for the hybrid launch event.
MARIE Membership
- Seán Lacey BSc, PhD, MBA (Principal Investigator), Research Integrity & Compliance Officer, Munster Technological University,
- Niina Ervaala, PhD, Principal Lecturer in Acute Care Nursing, South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences,
- Aristotel POPESCU, PhD, Professor in Mechanical Engineering, „Gheorghe Asachi“ Technical University of Iaşi,
- Vasiliki Petousi, PhD, Professor in Sociology of Law and Deviance, University of Crete,
- Ziad Mahayni, PhD, Professor of Applied Ethics, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences,
- Irene Díaz Rodríguez, PhD, Vice rector for Research and Professor of Artificial Intelligence, University of Oviedo,
- Andrea Pitasi, MA, PhD, Lecturer in Department of Socio-Economical and Management Studies, “G. d‘Annunzio“ University of Chieti – Pescara,
- Áine de Róiste, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Applied Social Studies, Munster Technological University,
- Oskar MacGregor, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Informatics, University of Skövde,
- Alexandrina Vodenicharova, PhD, Professor of Public Health and Head of Department of Bioethics, Medical University – Sofia,
- Virginie BEAUCOUSIN, PhD, IR Vice President, Université de Rouen Normandie,
- Tom Farrelly, DEd, SFHEA, Munster Technological University, Lecturer in School of Health & Social Sciences, Munster Technological University.
