Ministry of Education launches Code of Ethics for Research Staff

The Ministry of Education and Research, through the National Research Authority - Romania (ANC), announced the launch of the Code of Ethics and Professional Deontology for Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Staff, a document that establishes the unitary framework of the rules of conduct applicable to researchers in research organizations outside the university system. The Code applies to all categories of staff defined by Law no. 183/2024 and has as its main objective to clarify the principles and rules that govern research activity financed from public funds. According to the National Research Authority - Romania, the adoption of the document responds to the need to provide a coherent set of normative benchmarks in a system characterized by institutional diversity and heterogeneous practices. The Code formulates fundamental principles such as freedom of research, professional integrity, transparency, fairness and responsibility, which must underpin RDI activity. The document is aligned with the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, developed by the ALLEA organization, ensuring the compatibility of the national framework with European standards in ethics and scientific integrity. At the same time, situations related to the normal dynamics of research are explicitly delimited from serious misconduct, such as plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, conflicts of interest or abuse of authority.

The Code also describes the institutional mechanisms for application and control, through the functioning of ethics committees at the level of research organizations, as well as through the attributions of the National Council for Ethics of Scientific Research, Technological Development and Innovation, responsible for monitoring, analyzing and resolving complaints.

Clear procedures are provided for the notification and analysis of cases, the rights of the persons involved, guarantees of impartiality and confidentiality, as well as a regime of sanctions proportional to the gravity of the facts found.

"Through this Code, the Ministry of Education and Research, through the ANC, provides the RDI community with a normative instrument designed to support the uniform application of the rules of ethics and good conduct, protect research activity carried out in compliance with professional standards and strengthen responsibility in the use of public funds allocated to research", the representatives of the National Research Authority - Romania sent.