NEWS

Springer Nature and ENRIO to collaborate on a free training course
to support research integrity officers across Europe and beyond

Springer Nature is partnering with the European Network of Research Integrity Offices (ENRIO) to develop a new free e-learning course for research integrity officers (RIOs). The course is designed to provide holistic guidance for RIOs who are either developing good integrity practices from scratch or overhauling existing frameworks. It draws on materials and expertise developed by ENRIO through its work supporting research integrity offices across Europe alongside a wide array of national and international research integrity guidance from within and outside Europe.

Expected to launch later this year, the course will help institutions manage integrity cases more effectively, with training on how to establish investigation frameworks, navigate complex cases and work with stakeholders involved in investigations.

The course will promote more consistent approaches to investigations, while recognising different national and institutional contexts, in line with recognised national and international standards, including the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity and guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Commenting on the partnership, Dr Jo Appleford-Cook, Senior Training Manager, Prevention at Springer Nature, said:

“Research Integrity Officers are the foundations upon which integrity at institutions is built. They are core partners for publishers, working with us to ensure that published research is reliable and can be built upon. We are pleased to be working with ENRIO to make this expertise available to RIOs across Europe and beyond, equipping them with the tools and guidance they need to strengthen research integrity.”

Commenting on the training course, Bert Seghers, ENRIO President, said:

“ENRIO is pleased to make its expertise available through this free training resource for research integrity officers. Effective and fair approaches for addressing research integrity concerns are essential to maintaining trust in science. We welcome Springer Nature’s choice to make this course freely available, enabling research integrity officers to access practical guidance and expertise regardless of their organisation or resources.

This collaboration builds on ENRIO’s longstanding work to support research integrity practitioners across Europe. The ENRIO "Handbook on Recommendations for the Investigation of Research Misconduct"(2019) provides a key foundation for the training course and was the starting point for the collaboration with Springer Nature.

The project forms part of Springer Nature’s broader work to promote responsible research practice, which includes RISE-UTTHAN, a multi-city outreach programme delivered in partnership with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India to raise awareness of research integrity and good practice.

Springer Nature also offers free-to-access educational resources for editors and authors, covering topics including research integrity fundamentals, working with whistleblowers, identity verification, paper mills, citation manipulation, predatory publishers, peer review and more. Together, these initiatives help institutions, researchers and publishers contribute to the reliability of the scholarly record.

springernature.com