Ethics framework and guidelines: A guide for research funding organizations implementing participatory activities

This framework supports the ethical preparation, implementation, and evaluation of participatory processes in research funding and (applied) research & innovation (R&I).

This resource and the following information were contributed by Maria-Ascension Barajas.

Authors

Martijn Wiarda (TU Delft), Kalli Giannelos (Sciences Po), Stefanie Schuerz (ZSI), Bernard Reber (Sciences Po) & Neelke Doorn (TU Delft).

Key features

It helps the user understand the context in which they undertake a participatory process and guides them through mapping and addressing the ethical challenges and limitations that might arise.

The framework focused on research funding organizations' (RFOs) activities, including participation in strategy development and agenda setting, call topic definition and formulation, (project and proposal) evaluation processes and R&I projects. It thus addresses different contexts, resources, and needs that impact decisions on conducting participatory processes ethically and provides guidance to ensure stakeholder participation is executed without disregarding values such as fairness, transparency, equality, and privacy.

Through this, it might also support future ethics review and evaluation procedures that assess the planning and implementation of participatory processes and offer a common frame of reference for different stakeholders to discuss and understand participation in R&I.