Researchers collaborate to be PREPARED for the next global crisis

Research is highly difficult during a global crisis but at the same time essential.

Given the difficulties that emerged with the global Covid pandemic, the European Commission decided to fund the PREPARED project. The aim of the project is to develop an ethics and integrity framework to guide researchers working to prevent and address large-scale crises.

50 experts and stakeholders from around the world met at the UN University in Bonn to kick off the PREPARED project from 27-29 Sep 2022. Methodspace Zoomed in for a panel that allowed those of us not present for the meeting to hear key points from the discussion. (View the recording.)

A second PREPARED meeting was convened in June 2023 at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, and again, Methodspace facilitated an online panel. (View the recording.) Topics of discussion included:

• Can the silos of research ethics and research integrity be bridged? 

• Can research be accelerated whilst maintaining high ethical standards? 

• Which ethical values are important in guiding research during crisis? 

• How can groups who suffered disproportionally during COVID-19, including researchers, be better protected during the next pandemic? 

• How can researchers reach policy makers? 

• How can research become less risky for marginalized populations? 

Now PREPARED has assembled a detailed report about these discussions and the next steps for this important project - access the report here.

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View an animated introduction to the PREPARED project.

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Learn More about Equitable Research Partnerships

Watch the Webinar: While in the past we needed to travel in order to conduct international research, today we can bridge borders with a click. However, designing, planning, conducting, and publishing international research in an ethical and respectful way is not so simple! Methodspace hosted four members of the Research Ethics journal’s editorial board for a candid and informative discussion about ethical challenges and opportunities for international research. To follow-up the webinar Doris Schroeder, Samuel Ujewe, Kate Chatfield, Syntia Nchangwi, Charles Weijer answered questions in this post.

Equitable Research Partnerships instead of Helicopter Research: Guest post by Doris Schroeder, Charles Weijer, Syntia Nchangwi and Samuel Ujewe.

The TRUST Code: A Global Code of Conduct for Equitable Research Partnerships is a resource for all research stakeholders who want to ensure that international research is equitable and carried out without ‘ethics dumping’ and ‘helicopter research’. Sage adopted the Trust Code in July 2023.

PREPARED Coordinator Doris Schroeder is a co-editor on Equitable Research Partnerships: A Global Code of Conduct to Counter Ethics Dumping, which you can downloaded free in PDF or EPub formats.

Research Ethics and COVID-19: Interview with Special Issue Editors Doris Schroeder and Kate Chatfield, about cross-cultural research ethics articles in a special issue of the open-access journal, Research Ethics.

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More Methodspace Posts about Research Ethics