The Research Ethics and Integrity Office (RIO) at the iBRIC-inStem has been created to provide support to various stakeholders working on campus to ensure the ethical and responsible conduct of research.

The responsibility of ensuring research ethics and integrity lies predominantly with scientists and researchers who have participated in the research project in various capacities. RIO partners with the research community to ensure all scientific work is done ethically, following the Government of India as well as international guidelines and regulations, where applicable.

Functions

The primary function of the RIO is to oversee the research ethics and integrity in relation to iBRIC-inStem’s research and innovation activities. The RIO works with three primary verticals under the supervision of the Faculty Advisory Committee.

• Policy formulation and intervention: The office formulates relevant policies, standard operating protocols, and procedures to help institutional leadership on ethics and integrity matters arising out of the ongoing and completed research activities at the institute.
• Documentation: To improve the transparency and reproducibility of research conducted at the institute, the RIO maintains a central data repository for research outcomes. Additionally, the RIO also helps in data compilation and report preparation.
• Capacity Building: The RIO conducts academic training programs for various stakeholders (e.g., ethics courses for doctoral students, project personnel, research associates, trainees, and monthly awareness seminars for visitors). Additionally, RIO also explores new tools which are being used internationally to safeguard research ethics and integrity at institutes for higher education.

Resources

• Lab Safety Manual
• BLiSC Conflict of Interest Policy
• BLiSC IP Policy
• iBRIC-inStem Research Ethics and Integrity Policy

National

• National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research
• ICMR Guidelines for Research Integrity and Publication Ethics
• CSIR Guidelines for Ethics in Research and Governance
• UGC Guidelines on Academic Integrity and Research Quality
• DST Policy on Conflict of Interest

International

• ISSCR Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine
• Singapore Statement on Research Integrity
• Canadian Tri-Agency Framework for Responsible Conduct of Research
• UKRIO Self-Assessment Tool
• UKRIO Guidance on Internet-Mediated Research
• HFSP: Good Scientific Practice
• Standards for Human Stem Cell Use in Research

RIO Team

Sabuj Bhattacharyya, Ph.D.

Research Ethics and Integrity Officer (Scientist C)
iBRIC-inStem and Bangalore Life Science Cluster
Email: sabujb@instem.res.in
Phone: +91-80-23668216

Sabuj joined iBRIC-inStem as Research Ethics and Integrity Officer in February 2022. He has received training in wildlife sciences as well as in research ethics and integrity during his doctoral tenure at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and the University of Colorado, Boulder (through CSIR and Nehru-Fulbright doctoral fellowship). He has explored conservation genomics during his post-doctoral tenure at the Indian Institute of Science,Bangalore, and the University of Sheffield, UK (through DBT-RA and British Commonwealth Fellowship). Prior to joining DBT-inStem, he worked as a grant adviser at DBT-Wellcome Trust India Alliance, Hyderabad to facilitate clinical and biomedical research in India. Sabuj is currently serving as a member of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission Advisory Panel (2021-2025), UK. In the future, he would like to use his expertise in systematic review
and meta-analysis to understand gaps and challenges in the field of academic integrity in the global south.

His published research work can be found in the here. For more details about Sabuj and his work please visit his ORCID profile (0000-0002-4335-0751)