Ethical, Legal and Social implications in Research Infrastructures and Core Facilities
Date: 07/10-26/11
Learning model: video materials, pre-reading online materials, introductory lectors, use-case based hands-on activities, breakout room sessions and experience sharing
This short course takes an extensive overview of the various ethical, legal and social issues of science, that are affected by the international environment, open accessibility, and relationship with national or international institutions, companies and citizens.
The programme covers the following topics in four Sessions:
- Research Integrity: definitions, field of application, European instruments
- Equity, diversity and inclusion: definitions, principle of non-discrimination,
instruments for diversity management, opportunities stemming from a diverse
environment, how to build an inclusive research infrastructure - Open data and science: introduction to open science, FAIR principles and
their application, GDPR framework introduction, rights of interested parties,
different roles in GDPR process, ethics and privacy in Artificial Intelligence - Public engagement and citizen science: definition of public engagement and
citizen science, approaches and practices, impact, examples in different
domains
Target Audience
The short course is aimed at managers, operators and other professionals in Research Infrastructures or Core Facilities.
Learning Outcomes
Session 1 – Research Integrity
After completing this Session, the participant will be able to
- Understand the definition of Research Integrity (RI)
- Apply research integrity in relationship with colleagues, in mentoring,
- recruitment, in the lab and in the publication process.
- Use the European instruments for research integrity
- Ethics Committees: their role and function in the European Union.
Session 2. Equity, diversity and inclusion
After completing this Session, the participant will be able to
- Describe the principle of non-discrimination
- Understand the intersecting grounds of discrimination in regard to gender,
- disability, ethnic or geographic origin, culture, religion
- Compare the instruments for diversity management
- Identify and utilize the opportunities stemming from diversity
- Implement an inclusive environment in a research infrastructure
- Do inclusive research
Session 3. Open data and science & GDPR framework
After completing this Session, the participant will be able to
- Understand the principles of open data and science, including the FAIR principles
- Know how to implement the principles in their work
- Set requirements for RI staff for operating in the space of open data and science
- Explain the foundations of GDPR
- Understand the rights of interested parties in terms of access, cancellation- oblivion, limitation of processing, opposition, portability
- Understand the roles of the people involved in data management (data owner, manager, person in charge of processing) and their respective accountability
- Identify the ethical consequences of artificial intelligence
Session 4. Public engagement and citizen science
After completing this Session, the participant will be able to
Know what stakeholders are included in public engagement
Compare current approaches and practices in public engagement actions
Analyse the impacts of public engagement
Discuss examples in different domains
Describe the history and definition of citizen science
Compare types of citizen science activities within different domains
Discuss examples of citizen science projects
Discuss how RIs can enable (or inadvertently hinder) citizen science through their operating principles and design
The programme – ed. 2024
| SESSION 1: Research Integrity | |||
| 1.30 h | 7 October 3 – 4.30 pm | Lucia Busatta (Unitrento) | Lecture on Research Integrity |
| 30 min | 7 October 4.30 – 5 pm | Werner Kutch (ICOS-ERIC) TBC | Case studies analysis Discussion |
| SESSION 2: Ethics Committes | |||
| 2 h | 10 October 3 – 5 pm | Lucia Busatta (Unitrento) | Lecture on Ethics Committees |
| SESSION 3: Open Science and Data | |||
| 1.30 h | 14 October 3 – 4.30 pm | Fotis Psomopoulos, Jessica Lindvall, Elin Kronander (ELIXIR) | Lecture on open science and data |
| 30 min | 14 October 4.30 – 5 pm | Fotis Psomopoulos, Jessica Lindvall, Elin Kronander (ELIXIR) | Case studies analysis Discussion |
| SESSION 4: FAIR Principles | |||
| 1.30 h | 16 October 3 – 4.30 pm | Fotis Psomopoulos, Jessica Lindvall, Elin Kronander (ELIXIR) | Lecture on FAIR Principles |
| 30 min | 16 October 4.30 – 5 pm | Fotis Psomopoulos, Jessica Lindvall, Elin Kronander (ELIXIR) | Case studies analysis Discussion |
| SESSION 5: GDPR and AI | |||
| 2 h | 21 October 3 – 5 pm | Francesco DiTano (UniBo) | Lecture on GDPR and Ai |
| SESSION 6: Public Engagement | |||
| 1.30 h | 28 October 3 – 4.30 pm | Marko Peura (Uni Helsinki) | Lecture on Public Engagement |
| 30 min | 16 October 4.30 – 5 pm | MariaLuisa Lavitrano (UniMib) | Case studies analysis Discussion |
| SESSION 7: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion | |||
| 1.30 h | 29 October 3 – 4.30 pm | Lucia Busatta (Unitrento) | Lecture on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion |
| 30 min | 29 October 4.30 – 5 pm | Katharina Heil (ELIXIR) | Case studies analysis Discussion |
| SESSION 8: Citizen Science and Wrap Up | |||
| 1.30 h | 31 October 3 – 4.30 pm | Marko Peura (Uni Helsinki) | Lecture on Citizen Science |
| 30 min | 31 October 4.30 – 5 pm | Wrap Up | |
The programme – ed. 2023
The following programme is envisaged.
15 hours splitted in 3 half-days.
| SESSION 1: Research Integrity | |||
| 1.30 h | 13 June 20239:00 – 10:30 | Lucia Busatta (UniTrento)Synchronous video lecture | Research Integrity |
| 1.30 h | 13 June 202310:30-12:00 | Werner Kutch, ICOS-ERIC Julia Fernandez-Rodriguez, University of Gothenburg | Case studies analysisDiscussion |
| SESSION 2: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion | |||
| 1 h | 13 June 202313:30-14:30 | Lucia Busatta (UniTrento)Synchronous video lecture | Equity, Diversity, Inclusion |
| 1 h | 13 June 202314:30-15:30 | Hannah Hurst (ELIXIR) | Case studies analysisDiscussion |
| SESSION 3: Open science and data and the GDPR general framework | |||
| 1.5 h | 20 June 20239:00-10:30 | Fotis Psomopoulos (ELIXIR, tbc)Synchronous video lecture | Open science and data |
| 2 h | 20 June 202310:30-12:30 | Tbd (CTLS, Elixir) | Case studies analysisDiscussion |
| 1.5 h | 20 June 202314:00-15:30 | Monica Palmirani (UniBO)Synchronous video lecture | GDPR general framework |
| SESSION 4: Public engagement and Citizen Science | |||
| 1 h | 22 June 20239:00-10:00 | Marko Peura (Uni Helsinki)Synchronous video lecture | Public Engagement |
| 1 h | 22 June 202311:00-12:00 | Marko Peura (Uni Helsinki)Synchronous video lecture | Citizen Science |
| 1.5 h | 22 June 202312:00-13:30 | Marialuisa Lavitrano(UniMib) | Case studies analysisDiscussion |
| 1.5 h | 22 June 202314:30-16:00 | Lucia Busatta, Marko Peura, All | Final recap of the module |
The Faculty – ed. 2024
| Valentina Adami UniTrento | Valentina Adami has been the coordinator of the Core Facilities at CIBIO, the Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (University of Trento) since 2014. She obtained a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry (University of Trieste) and a specialization in hospital pharmacy (University of Padova). Before joining the University of Trento, she has worked for ten years in start-up and spin-off companies in the field of stem cells for advanced cell therapies. She has more than ten years of experience in the organization, implementation and management of core facilities and training activities at the National and International levels. She is actively involved in the international network CTLS (Core Technology for the Life Science). |
| Lucia Busatta UniTrento | Lucia Busatta, PhD, is Assistant Professor in Constitutional law at the Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology of the University of Trento. Lucia’s main field of research is focused on research integrity and constitutional problems of scientific research. She also collaborates in the research activities of the BioLaw Research Team at the Faculty of Law of the University of Trento. Lucia has been teaching bioethics and biolaw, public and constitutional law, both for law students and in other disciplines (biotechnologies, economics, psychology and healthcare professionals). She is also involved in several life-long formative courses for healthcare professionals, lawyers and judges. |
| Marko Peura University of Helsinki | Marko Peura works as a Senior Adviser at University of Helsinki, with main responsibility in University-level development processes of research infrastructures. He holds a PhD in Physics. Peura is the principal adviser in all matters related to University-level commitment to large-scale RIs. At Uni.Helsinki, he is strongly involved in compiling the University’s RI policy. His research background is in soft condensed matter physics and utilisation of x-rays and synchrotron radiation to study the structure and dynamical properties of biopolymers. |
| Marialuisa Lavitrano UniMIB | Marialuisa Lavitrano is full professor of Pathology, director of Molecular Medicine Unit and of the Executive Masters’ in Management of Research Infrastructures at Milano-Bicocca University where she was Pro-Rector for International Affairs [2006-2013]. Over the years, she contributed to the international strategies of the Ministries of Research and of Health and coordinated the Italian participation in the BioMedical Sciences ESFRI roadmap. In 2013 she was appointed BBMRI.it Node-Director. Prof. Lavitrano has a long-term experience in research, management and in bioethical aspects of science, being co-Director of BBMRI-ERIC Common Service ELSI and participating at Bioethical Commissions of the Council of Europe, of the Vatican, and of the Italian government. |
| Fotis Psomopoulos ELIXIR | Dr Fotis Psomopoulos is an Associate Research Professor at the Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB), at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), in Thessaloniki Greece. Beyond his research interests that focus on Bioinformatics and Machine Learning as the lead of the Bioinformatics Laboratory, he is also particularly active in training. He is the Training Coordinator of ELIXIR-GR, a member of the ELIXIR Training Platform Executive Committee, and a member of the EOSC Association Task Force on Research careers, recognition and credit. He is also a strong advocate of Open Science; he is a mentor in the Open Life Science community, he is a co-author of the Open Science Training Handbook as well as the Greek National Plan for Open Science, and is a founding member of the Hellenic Open Science Initiative. |
| Jessica Lindvall ELIXIR | Jessica Lindvall is an associate professor with the main responsibility as head of training in ELIXIR-SE (National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, NBIS), which provides training in advanced bioinformatics, data science and research data management. Jessica is also deputy head of node for ELIXIR-SE and one of the ExCo committee members of the Training Platform in ELIXIR. |
| Elin Kronander ELIXIR | Elin Kronander is a data steward in the ELIXIR-SE Data Management team and acts as one of the training coordinators for ELIXIR-SE. She is involved in creating guidelines and best practices for Life Science Research Data Management in Sweden, with human data as one focus area. Elin holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne and has work experience as a data scientist developing solutions for individually guided personalized learning paths. |
| Francesco Di Tano UniBO | Francesco Di Tano is a university researcher currently working on a three-year research project on data protection in scientific research. He is an Ethics and & Privacy Advisor at the University of Bologna, where he teaches a course on legal informatics. Francesco has also been a data protection officer for multiple agencies and companies since 2018. He passed the bar exam in 2012 and has been working as a lawyer ever since. His interest has always been about the interaction of law and informatics, and recently it has also expanded to AI and data protection regulations. |
| Katharina F Heil ELIXIR | Katharina F Heil is Programme Manager for Communities and Training at the ELIXIR Hub, the coordination office of ELIXIR, the European Research Infrastructure for life sciences. In this course she will share insights into how ELIXIR is approaching aspects around Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at a central level, as well as in collaboration with individual ELIXIR Nodes. Her background in is Computational Neuroscience as well as Project Management and she is convinced that collaboration is key to success. |
| Werner Leo Kutsch ICOS-ERIC | Werner Leo Kutsch has a strong scientific background in ecosystem science. Since March 2014 he is Director General of ICOS RI and has successfully steered the procedure towards becoming an ERIC. In this work, he focused on legal work on contracting the distributed central facilities, on optimizing the internal data workflow between the different observational programs of ICOS, on developing the data platform of ICOS (‘Carbon Portal’) which will also serve as an interface to COPERNICUS and GEOSS, and on deepening the cooperation with other RIs. While ICOS has achieved full operation during its first five-year phase (2015 – 2019), he has successfully steered the transition to the second five-year period by updating the strategy for the next decade, renewing the financial commitments of the participating countries and compiling an action plan. | Ineke Luijten | Ineke Luijten is a Scientific Training Officer at the SciLifeLab Training Hub in Sweden, where she develops and delivers cross-disciplinary training modules on Open Science and FAIR principles. She is a member of the Open Science community and a strong advocate for Open Science and FAIR. Ineke holds a PhD in molecular biosciences from Stockholm University. Beyond her research interest in rare monogenic metabolic diseases, she has extensive experience in academic supervision and pedagogics. |
The Faculty – ed. 2023
| Lucia BusattaUniTrento | Lucia Busatta, PhD, is Assistant Professor in Constitutional law at the Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology of the University of Trento. Lucia’s main field of research is focused on research integrity and constitutional problems of scientific research. She also collaborates in the research activities of the BioLaw Research Team at the Faculty of Law of the University of Trento. Lucia has been teaching bioethics and biolaw, public and constitutional law, both for law students and in other disciplines (biotechnologies, economics, psychology and healthcare professionals). She is also involved in several life-long formative courses for healthcare professionals, lawyers and judges. |
| Marko PeuraUniversity of Helsinki | Marko Peura works as a Senior Adviser at University of Helsinki, with main responsibility in University-level development processes of research infrastructures. He holds a PhD in Physics. Peura is the principal adviser in all matters related to University-level commitment to large-scale RIs. At Uni.Helsinki, he is strongly involved in compiling the University’s RI policy. His research background is in soft condensed matter physics and utilisation of x-rays and synchrotron radiation to study the structure and dynamical properties of biopolymers. |
| Fotis PsomopoulosELIXIR | Dr Fotis Psomopoulos is an Associate Research Professor at the Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB), at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), in Thessaloniki Greece. Beyond his research interests that focus on Bioinformatics and Machine Learning as the lead of the Bioinformatics Laboratory, he is also particularly active in training. He is the Training Coordinator of ELIXIR-GR, a member of the ELIXIR Training Platform Executive Committee, and a member of the EOSC Association Task Force on Research careers, recognition and credit. He is also a strong advocate of Open Science; he is a mentor in the Open Life Science community, he is a co-author of the Open Science Training Handbook as well as the Greek National Plan for Open Science, and is a founding member of the Hellenic Open Science Initiative. |
| Marialuisa Lavitrano | Marialuisa Lavitrano is full professor of Pathology, director of Molecular Medicine Unit and of the Executive Masters’ in Management of Research Infrastructures at Milano-Bicocca University where she was Pro-Rector for International Affairs [2006-2013]. Over the years, she contributed to the international strategies of the Ministries of Research and of Health and coordinated the Italian participation in the BioMedical Sciences ESFRI roadmap. In 2013 she was appointed BBMRI.it Node-Director. Prof. Lavitrano has a long-term experience in research, management and in bioethical aspects of science, being co-Director of BBMRI-ERIC Common Service ELSI and participating at Bioethical Commissions of the Council of Europe, of the Vatican, and of the Italian government. |
| Jessica Lindvall | Jessica Lindvall is an associate professor with the main responsibility as head of training in ELIXIR-SE (National Bioinformatics Infrastructure Sweden, NBIS), which provides training in advanced bioinformatics, data science and research data management. Jessica is also deputy head of node for ELIXIR-SE and one of the ExCo committee members of the Training Platform in ELIXIR. |
| Stephan Nylinder | Stephan Nylinder is part of the ELIXIR-SE Data Management team and is one of the training coordinators for ELIXIR-SE. His focus is on data publications and facilitating knowledge exchange between data producers and researchers for data and metadata. Stephan holds a PhD in Biology with emphasis on Systematics and Biodiversity from Gothenburg University, Sweden, and has been working with data management at several levels in both life and social sciences. |
| Elin Kronander | Elin Kronander is a data steward in the ELIXIR-SE Data Management team and acts as one of the training coordinators for ELIXIR-SE. She is involved in creating guidelines and best practices for Life Science Research Data Management in Sweden, with human data as one focus area. Elin holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne and has work experience as a data scientist developing solutions for individually guided personalized learning paths. |
| Korbinian Bösl | Korbinian Bösl is a senior engineer at the Computational Biology Unit (CBU) at the University of Bergen. He is the Data Management Coordinator of ELIXIR-NO and part of the operational management team of the Centre for Digital Life Norway. He is coordinating data management efforts between the Life Science Research Infrastructures in Norway. Korbinian has a research background on systems host-pathogen interactions and holds a PhD in Molecular Medicine from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He has developed and implemented a research data management training program for life scientists across Norway. |
| Monica Palmirani UniBO | Monica Palmirani is Full Professor of Computer Science and Law at the University of Bologna, Faculty of Law, she graduated in mathematics and earned her PhD in Legal Informatics and Computer Science Law in 1996 at CIRSFID. Lecturer of several courses since 2001 in Legal Informatics, eGovernment, Techniques of legal drafting, XML legal, is the author of more than 70 contributions, several essays and monographs. She has been chair or co-chair of several leading international conferences, and has held numerous international seminars on Legal XML and Open Data topics. Her main field of research is Legislative and Legal Informatics, eGovernment and eJustice, in particular, she is an expert in XML and Semantic Web techniques for modelling legal documents, both as regards the structure of documents and as regards the modelling of semantics and standards. |
| Werner Leo KutschICOS-ERIC | Werner Leo Kutsch has a strong scientific background in ecosystem science. Since March 2014 he is Director General of ICOS RI and has successfully steered the procedure towards becoming an ERIC. In this work, he focused on legal work on contracting the distributed central facilities, on optimizing the internal data workflow between the different observational programs of ICOS, on developing the data platform of ICOS (‘Carbon Portal’) which will also serve as an interface to COPERNICUS and GEOSS, and on deepening the cooperation with other RIs. While ICOS has achieved full operation during its first five-year phase (2015 – 2019), he has successfully steered the transition to the second five-year period by updating the strategy for the next decade, renewing the financial commitments of the participating countries and compiling an action plan. |
| Despoina SousoniELIXIR | Despoina Sousoni is in charge of implementing and driving ELIXIR’s industry strategy, managing a range of industry engagement activities based on ELIXIR members’ needs and EU-funded projects. These activities include ELIXIR’s Industry and Innovation Forums, support on the Industry Advisory Committee and management of the ELIXIR’s Knowledge Exchange Scheme, a staff exchange programme for ELIXIR Nodes and industry. See ELIXIR’s Industry activities here.Despoina’s expertise includes public-private partnerships, building Industry strategies for research infrastructures, and evaluating the entrepreneurial ecosystems in the life sciences. In addition, Despoina has a background in environmental microbiology and work experience in the European Commission and UNESCO, focusing on open science practices. |
| Hannah Hurst(ELIXIR) | Hannah Hurst is the Project Management Office Manager for the ELIXIR Hub where she has worked for five years. Hannah was instrumental in creating ELIXIR’s Equal Opportunities Strategy in 2018, followed by a three-year EDI plan. As part of these activities, Hannah developed and implemented a Code of Conduct for ELIXIR, for which she won a Wellcome Genome Campus Best Practice Award for Supporting Equality and Diversity in Science on International Women’s Day 2020. She has now formed an EDI Team within the Hub who together, work to continually make progress on EDI issues within the Hub. |
| Julia Fernandez-RodriguezUGOT | Julia Fernandez-Rodriguez is the Head of the Centre for Cellular Imaging University of Gothenburg, and Node of the Swedish National Microscopy Infrastructure and a National Unit of the SciLifeLab Infrastructure; Vice-chair of the Panels of Node Board for the Euro-BioImaging-ERIC consortium and President of the Core Technologies for Life Sciences Association (CTLS). Graduated (1989) in Biology from the University Santiago de Compostela (Spain) and received her PhD (1996) in Biochemistry from the University of Vigo (Spain). Her long-established research career in cell & molecular biology, together with her technical expertise in light and electron microscopy, and 20 years of core facility training experience have provided her with an excellent background in multiple life sciences disciplines, and in the development, implementation, management and operation of a multimodal imaging research infrastructure and its training activities at the national and international level. As a university core facility, she is also strongly involved in the education and training of students and researchers through a series of courses, seminars and workshops, often in collaboration with other universities in Sweden and abroad and with industrial partners. |
How to Apply
All CPD courses will be formally delivered by the University of Milano-Bicocca. As such, you will be part of the academic community. According to Italian academic law, there are some compulsory tasks that must be performed:
1- The application period is from July 31, 2024, to September 9, 2024.
2- To provide the Faculty with a comprehensive view of all candidates, you must browse the course catalog and submit all required information through a specific form for each course you wish to participate in. This step is mandatory to enter the selection process, but it does not guarantee admission (please refer to point 4).
3- The Faculty will select the appropriate candidates for the courses between September 10, 2024, and September 16, 2024.
4- All selected candidates are required to formally enroll on the ESSE3 platform here: https://s3w.si.unimib.it/Root.do. If a candidate does not complete the process on the ESSE3 portal, they cannot be admitted to the courses. The profiling process must be completed through this platform and cannot be handled by the administrative office, as it is a formal requirement for admission. All registrations must be completed by October 3rd. No grace period has been planned.
Apply by filling in the form and upload your CV (max 3 pages)
Cost
The pilot short course is offered free-of-charge and requires the participant’s full commitment during lectures, group work and written assignments.
Info & Contact
To pass the course the participant must attend at least 80% of the lectures.
For any doubt or information, please see the FAQs below or send an email to ritrainplus[at]unimib.it
FAQs
Why should I take this programme?
The programme is aimed at managers, operators and other professionals at Research Infrastructures and Core Facilities willing to share their experience and upskill themselves.
Who is behind this programme?
The pilot programme is designed by academic and educational experts who gathered in the RItrainPlus project to share their long experience working or leading Research Infrastructures or other scientific institutions.
How is the programme organized?
The programme is divided into seven short courses, each containing separate sessions. The short courses take up 16–32 hours each for the training sessions, plus individual work.
How do I take part?
The participants can take up either the whole programme and progress from one short course to the next, or take an individual short course that best fits their needs. For those interested in taking up the whole programme, it should be noted that although the session activities will not be overlapping, time for individual work might be hardly enough. Participants are advised to check the course schedules for more information.
Once selected to be part of the program, the University of Milano-Bicocca will provide you with an official account to log into the e-learning platform. Through this email account, you will receive all official communications from the University and the final Certificate of Completion.
What’s expected of me?
The Pilot courses are part of a development project which will be enriched by the Participants. Strong commitment to this concept is necessary. The participant is expected to participate in at least 75% of the scheduled activities. Participation in the programmed in-person activities is mandatory. The individual courses are assessed in different ways.
Do I have to take all the sessions in a short course? Can I just choose what I like?
The participant needs to participate in all the sessions in the short course. Course’s thematic units are not opt-in modules.
What does it cost?
The pilot courses are offered free of charge for the Participants. The Project is supported by the European Union’s H2020 programme under grant agreement no.101008503
How are the courses taught?
The short courses are offered mostly as online courses that take up to 6 typically non-consecutive half-days. The courses are taught by experienced Academics and Executives at RItrainPlus partner universities and institutions with the contribution of invited international Experts. The courses will be delivered in the period October-November 2024.
How do I apply? Is there a selection process? Are there specific administrative tasks to complete in order to be formally enrolled?
All CPD courses will be formally delivered by the University of Milano-Bicocca. As such, you will be part of the academic community. According to Italian academic law, there are some compulsory tasks that must be performed:
1- The application period is from July 31, 2024, to September 9, 2024.
2- To provide the Faculty with a comprehensive view of all candidates, you must browse the course catalog and submit all required information through a specific form for each course you wish to participate in. This step is mandatory to enter the selection process, but it does not guarantee admission (please refer to point 4).
3- The selection of accepted candidates will be performed until September 17th, 2024.
4- All selected candidates are required to formally enroll on the ESSE3 platform here: https://s3w.si.unimib.it/Root.do. If a candidate does not complete the process on the ESSE3 portal, they cannot be admitted to the courses. The profiling process must be completed through this platform and cannot be handled by the administrative office, as it is a formal requirement for admission. All registrations must be completed by October 3rd. No grace period has been planned.
When will I know if my application has been accepted?
Selected participants are informed of the acceptance of their application by September 17th 2024.
What if I realize that I cannot participate anymore after I’ve been admitted to participation?
If the participant wishes to cancel their participation, they are required to inform the organizers at least two weeks prior to the starting of the course