WG ERIP

WG ERIP

April 17, 2024

WG Objectives

ERIP’s mission is to develop policy, guidance, and tools for advancing research assessment that promote the role of, and define the ethical and integrity characteristics of, a responsible culture for the assessment of data and AI in research, fostering responsibility, transparency, and societal benefit.

Key objectives:

    1. Develop ethics and research integrity guidance for research assessment involving data and AI;
    2. Promote responsible data and AI practices by advocating for responsible assessment practices that prioritize integrity, responsibility, and societal benefit, while mitigating the potential risks and harms associated with data and AI-driven research;
    3. Foster stakeholder engagement through facilitated dialogue and collaboration among researchers, policymakers, funding agencies, and other actors to ensure diverse perspectives in the development and implementation of ethical research assessment policies;
    4. Provide a toolkit of educational resources to raise awareness and help implement best practices in research assessment for data and AI; and
    5. Engage in outreach to shape policy and institutional change, promoting a culture of responsible data and AI research.

ERIP has actively recruited European and non-European member institutions to join CoARA since October 2023. ERIP engages a broad global community, from Brussels to Beijing to Washington, DC, with all continents and many countries already represented.

Recent Activities

Updated on 28 October 2025

CoARA-ERIP publishes a white paper on RRA for a digital and AI-driven science

In October 2025, CoARA-ERIP published a white paper on a strategic framework to advance responsible research assessment (RRA) in Europe that is fit-for-purpose for the AI era. The framework is built upon a foundation of core ethical principles, translated into actionable tools through a coordinated, systemic approach with three key pillars: (1) participatory design with Research and Innovation Actors (RIA), (2) flexibility and adaptability to diverse disciplines and missions, and (3) interoperability within the wider open science ecosystem. Highlights from the whitepaper include: 

  • The Ethics Assessment Alignment Matrix (EAAM), which bridges normative values with assessable research domains 
  • The Modular Assessment Configurator (MAC), a digital tool that enables institutions and funders to create configurable, explicable, and value-aligned assessment workflows 
  • A roadmap to embedding open science principles into research(er) and career evaluations 

This whitepaper is builds on the conference organised by CoARA-ERIP and WG OI4RRA in June 2025, titled, Advancing responsible research assessment for funders in the European digital space: a dialogue on ethics, integrity, and open infrastructure, which brought together CoARA Working Groups, funders, RPOs, as well as the European Commission to discuss research assessment in the digital age. 

Click here for the Zenodo publication!

Affiliated Organisations

  • European Commission DG RTG ERIS, Europe
  • ALLEA: All European Academies: The European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, Europe
  • Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
  • KU Leuven, Belgium
  • Leiden University, The Netherlands
  • The European Council for Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (EuroDoc), Europe
  • Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) [Spanish National Research Council], Spain
  • Federation of Finnish Learned Societies (TSV), Finland
  • Research Data Alliance (RDA) Europe AISBL, Europe
  • Research Data Alliance (RDA) International, Global
  • CODATA, Global
  • TOBB University of Economics & Technology, Turkey
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugal
  • Yenepoya (deemed to be University), India
  • Columbia University Global Health Research Center of Central Asia, Kazakhstan
  • Good Clinical Practice Alliance – Europe (GCPA), Europe

Find out more!

Follow ERIP on LinkedIn!
Join the ERIP LinkedIn Group!

Contact

Interested in joining the WG ERIP or have an inquiry?

Francis P. Crawley
The Good Clinical Practice Alliance (GCPA)

fpc@gcpalliance.org

Webinars

Ethics and Integrity for AI in Research

How can we promote the ethical use of AI? How might AI be employed to advance fundamental values and committments in science-related research and communication? And how can research practices in this new digital environment be assessed?

A high-level, joint webinar was held on Tuesday 10 September, 14-15:30 CET to address these questions, co-organised by ERIP along with ALLEA and the EU Scientific Advice Mechanism.

The webinar will be moderated by Nausikaä El-Mecky, Professor in History of Art & Visual Culture at Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona with the following speakers:

  • Maura Hiney, ALLEA Permanent Working Group on Science & Ethics (chair)
  • Francis P. Crawley, CoARA Working Group ERIP (co-chair & coordinator)
  • Barbara Prainsack, Chair of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies
  • Karen Yeung, Professor, University of Birmingham 
ERIP
Click here to watch the recording!

Research Assessment in the Digital Environment: A New Era of Ethical Practices in Data and AI

The Research Assessment for Ethics, Data, and AI Discussion Series launched with the aim of addressing the vital need for reform in research assessment practices to reflect the realities of our increasingly digitised world. The event gathered experts, scholars, and practitioners in research governance and digitisation to explore the intersection of research assessment and digital advancements.

Click here to learn more!

Activities Archive

Updated on 31 March 2025

  • The ERIP co-chairs have met approximately 12 times since the submission of its final proposal on 9 November 2023, the acceptance of the working group by the CoARA Steering Board on 6 February and the Launch Meeting on 20 March. Work focused on the organisational structure, objectives, workstreams, and initiating the working group.
  • ERIP co-chairs attended the CoARA General Assembly on 15 December 2023, where ERIP was briefly announced.
  • ERIP was presented during the webinar on ‘How Bibliometrics and University Rankings Reward Unreliable Science‘ organized by Dr. Chiedozie Godan Ike, ERIP Co-chair and Head, Office of Research Integrity and Compliance, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria; 20 December 2023.
  • ERIP co-chairs participated in the survey of the CoARA Working Group on Reforming Academic Career Assessment in early January 2024.
  • ERIP was presented by Professor Gitanjali Yadav (ERIP Co-chair) during India’s National Conclave on ‘AI and Ethics: Perspectives from Industry and Academia’, 20 February 2024.
  • CoARA ERIP held its Launch Meeting on Wednesday 20 March 2024, 12:00 noon to 14:00 CET (Brussels time) as a hybrid meeting (in-person and on Zoom) at the Royal Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts in Brussels. The meeting was facilitated by ALLEA and ENRIO. The meeting had 434 registrations. Zoom reported a total of 346 participants. We observed approximately 180 participants online at any one time. Approximately 20 participants joined in person at The Royal Academy. Here is the link to the YouTube CoARA-ERIP Launch Meeting.
  • ERIP was presented at the Ethical Data Initiative (EDI)’s Multi-stakeholder Workshop on Ethical Data in the Age of XAI at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) Think Tank in Munich on 9-10 April 2024.
  • ERIP was presented at the ‘Workshop on open data policies, metrics and governance’ (in person), Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing; Monday 22 April 2024.
  • ERIP participated in the United Nations University 1st AI Conference and contribute to the founding of the UNU AI Network; Macau; Thursday 25 April 2024
  • ERIP participated in the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) ‘Workshop on TinyML for Sustainable Development’, Macau, 27 April 2024
  • ERIP contributed to a ‘Workshop on the regulation of biodata’; Shenzhen; Saturday 28 April 2024
  • ERIP was presented at the ENRIO 2024 Annual Conference at the Royal Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts in Brussels on 15 May 2024.
  • ERIP held a Working Session at the Research Data Alliance (RDA)’s 22nd Plenary Meeting: ‘Research assessment and science integrity: A global approach with local impact for research policy and the development of digital tools’; Virtual, 14-23 May 2024.
  • ERIP held a virtual side event alongside the publication of a science-policy brief contribution to the UN Interagency Task Team on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (IATT) at the Ninth Annual United Nation’s Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (UN 2024 STI Forum); 9-10 May 2024; UN Headquarters in New York. ERIP also contributes a science-policy brief for publication with other policy briefs from the Forum.
  • ERIP held a side event at the 8th WCRI 2024, June 2-5, 2024, in Athens, where members of the working group attending the conference met in person.
  • ERIP was presented during the AI and Climate Expert Meeting at the United Nations University (UNU EHS) in Bonn on 1-2 July 2024
  • 16 July 2024 (Munich): International AI and Human Rights Summit 
  • 23-25 July 2024 online / 29-31 July in person (UCLA, Los Angeles): Force 11 FSCI 2024: FSCI 2024: Increasing Transparency, Integrity, and Trust in Research Course: Good governance for AI in scientific publications: Developing policy for reliability, ethics, and integrity. Parallel courses were also held in New Delhi and Beijing. 
  • ERIP participated in the EOSC OpenAIRE Open Consultation: Crafting a vision for European Repositories on 24 August 2024.
  • CoARA’s Message Reaches India: On 2 September, WG ERIP Co-Chair, Gitanjali Yadav, joined a panel, organized by India’s National Institute of Immunology, to discuss the country’s new BioE3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) policy, and the impact of AI on this sector.  Watch the recording here!
  • “Ethics and Integrity for AI in Research” Webinar: On 10 September, Co-Chair and Coordinator, Francis P Crawley, participated in a panel organised by the Scientific Advice Mechanism, CoARA, and ALLEA that addressed the question of how AI could be used ethically in science-related research and the evaluation of such practices. Watch the recording of the lively discussion here!
  • Questionnaire on digital tools for research assessment: CoARA-ERIP will be developing policy and tools for research assessment in the digital environment. We are interested to hear from the CoARA membership their ideas and suggestions on how this digital environment might be created as well as how we can cooperate across the community. Please click here for a link to the questionnaire. It takes only five minutes to complete.
  • The ENRIO (European Network of Research Integrity Offices) with host its Autumn Meeting on 12-13 September 2024 in Prague.
  • CoARA-ERIP next meeting: On Thursday 19 September at 16:00-17:30 CEST (Brussels time) (14:00-15:30 UTC), CoARA’s Working Group on ‘Ethics and Research Integrity Policy in Responsible Research Assessment for Data and Artificial Intelligence (ERIP)’ will host its next meeting. If you have expertise or interest in this area of research assessment, you can sign up here to join the CoARA-ERIP working group.
  • Targeting Early Career Researchers: On 10 October, co-chairs, Francis P Crawley and Mara de Sousa Freitas, took part in a panel discussion, titled, ‘Research Assessment & Creativity in Research’, aimed at Early Career Researchers (ECRs). This was part of the (In)Credible Research Conference, organsied by Charité– Universitätsmedizin Berlin and a dedicated group of ECRs, and graphical recordings of the conference will be available soon.
  • 14th ERION EARMA Thematic Group event – Artificial Intelligence and Ethics, the Big Wave: On 30 October, WG ERIP Co-Chair, Mara de Sousa Freitas, spoke about AI and ethics at an event organised by the Ethics and Research Integrity Officer Network (ERION) within the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA). Participants included research managers, policy officers, ethicists, researchers, publishers and the Head of the Research Ethics and Integrity Sector, European Commission (EC), DG Research & Innovation.
  • The Ethical Data Discussion Series: CoARA-ERIP member, Suchith Anand, who is part of the Ethical Data Initiative, is consulting the Working Group on topics for the Ethical Data Discussion Series. The webinar series explores the “ethical considerations surrounding digital technologies, data collection, and data-driven research” – thereby intersecting with ERIP’s expertise and outreach objectives. If you have ideas for topics/ideas/questions you would like to see debated on the Ethical Data Discussion Series, please email Maria Ronald.
  • 12-13 September 2024 (Prague, Czech Republic). The ENRIO (European Network of Research Integrity Offices) Autumn Meeting 2024.
  • 30 October 2024 (Barcelona, Spain). ERION EARMA Thematic Group event titled `Artificial Intelligence and Ethics, the Big Wave’.
  • 13 November 2024 (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) ERIP co-organised `An international workshop on ethics and innovation policy for research assessment: Best practices for data and AI’. Link to the recording (Passcode: qZ^b#7$7).
  • 26-28 November 2024 (Algiers, Algeria) Presentation of ERIP to the `Annual Meeting of African Science Academies (AMASA 2024).
  • Together with the TUM-Exeter University’s `Ethical Data Initiative (EDI)’, CoARA-ERIP, CODATA IDPC, and EOSC-Future/RDA AIDV-WG are co-organizing a webinar series on `Research Assessment for Ethics, Data, and AI’. Follow CoARA-ERIP on its LinkedIn Community Page to stay posted on the webinar series.  The first two webinars have been planned as follows:
      • Research Assessment in the Digital Environment: Wednesday 26 February 2025; 11:00 to 12:00 noon UTC
      • The Impact of Data and AI on Research Culture: Wednesday 23 April 2025; 11:00 to 12:00 noon UTC
  • 14-18 July 2025 (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa [NOVA FCSH], Lisbon, Portugal). ERIP participated with ELDAH, CLIC (CLARIN-ERIC), UK/IE DHA PeTRA CIG, CESSDA, EHRI, and CoARA-ERIP at the DARIAH-EU Conference on `Foundations for citizen’s trust and access: developing EU standards for the use of AI in digital publications of the arts, humanities, and social sciences
  • 18-21 June 2025 (Yenepova [Deemed to be University], Mangaluru, India). ERIP participated in a 2-day workshop on `AI in Health-related Research and Scientific Publications: Digital Technologies, Ethics, and Research Integrity’.
  • 14-18 July 2025 (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa [NOVA FCSH], Lisbon, Portugal). ERIP participated with ELDAH, CLIC (CLARIN-ERIC), UK/IE DHA PeTRA CIG, CESSDA, EHRI, and CoARA-ERIP at the DARIAH-EU Conference on `Foundations for citizen’s trust and access: developing EU standards for the use of AI in digital publications of the arts, humanities, and social sciences
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