Structure to ensure research integrity for soundness and fairness as a research university with a regional core and distinctive characteristics is reinforced and promoted
July 06, 2023
In recent years, concerns about conflicts of interest/commitments due to the undue influence of foreign countries, etc., technology leakages and other matters have come to the surface. As a result, universities and research institutions in Japan have proceeded with the strengthening of their governance and the education of organization members, including human resources development. As well as implementing various measures on a university-wide basis, Okayama University has considered the establishment of a structure that is in line with the government’s policy (decision of the Integrated Innovation Strategy Promotion Council on April 27, 2021) and a request from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and others, in order to ensure soundness and fairness in research (research integrity), which are newly required to be ensured in association with the new risks stemming from internationalization and the opening-up of research.
We have instituted a new university-wide system on July 3, in order to establish the relevant regulations and reinforce the structure to ensure research integrity, while making the maximum use of our existing structures and systems.
Under this system, a new consultation service was established for consultations in cases where there is a concern for any risk. We will swiftly centralize the information by integrating our contacts. In addition, we have set up a special committee, in which not only the departments in charge of research but all the relevant departments of the university are involved, to provide a place for discussing the content of consultations. Moreover, we will set up a committee whose members consist of the university’s top management such as Executive Directors, Vice Executive Directors and Vice Presidents, where they can make a managerial judgement if needed to strengthen research integrity as a form of corporation management.
Regarding this strengthening of research integrity, Okayama University’s President NASU Yasutomo commented that: “Research integrity is inevitably required when improvements of the ability to research, as well as strengthening of the creation of innovations are implemented. Its appropriate operation and management are also important, given the recent global situation. In this strengthening of our regulations, we have established a system that covers not only researchers but all of our faculty, staff and students, under which proper judgments by the corporation’s management are made while keeping the existing perspectives. As a responsible national university corporation of Japan, and furthermore a research university with a regional core and distinctive characteristics, Okayama University will continue to make proper responses to the society.”
In addition, Vice Executive Director and Vice President/URA SATOH Norito, who serves as Research Integrity Management Supervisory Manager, made the comment that: “Okayama University has conducted various initiatives in the past on educational research activities from the viewpoint of ERM (Enterprise Risk Management). Furthermore, we have collaborated with the relevant institutions, while always taking into account not only the legal perspective but also the security perspective in actual initiatives. This reinforcement of the rules is being advanced as the strengthening of governance to further solidify our position of appropriate corporate management, and moreover as a national university corporation of Japan. Externally, the system is designed to improve reliability and other matters, and we will keep our antenna up high, keep up with the latest information and affairs, and fulfill the responsibilities of Okayama University as a research university with a regional core and distinctive characteristics.
We will continue to conduct appropriate risk management on a university-wide basis, and will bolster our efforts to autonomously ensure research integrity at Okayama University.
［Reference］
○Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology “research integrity” related webpage (external website)
○A report on the initiatives of the ERM Establishment Project and the ERM Organizational Culture Fostering Project of Okayama University was released