10 June, 2026

FINAL EVENT at the European Parliament, Brussels – 10th June

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The future of European research: integrity, freedom, and trust, June 10, 2026, 15:00, STOA Workshop, Info Hub, European Parliament, Brussels

Date: Wednesday, 10 June 2026
Time: 15:00–17:00 CEST
Format: streamed online from the European Parliament
Livestream: Livestream link will be added here closer to the event

About the event

This workshop, organised by the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) of the European Parliament, will bring together distinguished speakers and stakeholders to discuss the future of European research under the theme “The Future of European Research: Integrity, Freedom, and Trust.” The event also serves as the final event of the Beyond Bad Apples project.

Research is a global, communal, endeavour, and its integrity is crucial to the proper functioning of science, by establishing the trust in scientific results necessary for the build-up of knowledge. It is also a key factor on how science should be evaluated, managed, and funded. More broadly, trust in the integrity of the scientific process and its outcomes is ultimately necessary to ensure societal buy-in and support of scientific results and science-based decision making.

According to the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity of the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA), endorsed by the European Commission as guidance for Horizon Europe projects, research integrity 'encompasses the basic responsibility of the research community to formulate the principles of research, to define the criteria for proper research behaviour, to maximise the quality, reliability, and robustness of research and its results, and to respond adequately to threats to, or violations of, good research practices'. This is an encompassing definition, that importantly is centred on the community rather than just individual actors. Looking at research integrity therefore requires a systemic perspective, that goes beyond identifying single individuals as problematic 'bad apples'. At the same time, the use of social media as communication channels, the vast increase in the number of publications and funding applications, threats to academic freedom and, most obviously, the rise of AI all pose significant challenges to the integrity of the scientific process and ultimately societal trust in science. In a period when the future shape of the European Research Area is under discussion, this event will look into these topics and discuss how policy may adapt to help foster a culture of research integrity.

See official European Parliament announcement and register for local participation about this event HERE.

About STOA

The Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) is the European Parliament’s body dedicated to foresight, science and technology assessment, and evidence-informed reflection on policy-relevant scientific and technological developments.

See the web site for more information: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/stoa/en/about/stoa-network

Programme

15:00 - 15:05 Welcome and introductory remarks, Ivars Ijabs, MEP and STOA Vice-Chair

15:05 - 15:20 Keynote on research integrity, Maura Hiney, University College Dublin, Chair of the ALLEA Research Ethics and Integrity Council

15:20 - 15:30 Insights from the BEYOND project, Signe Mežinska, University of Latvia

15:30 - 15:40 AI and research integrity, Julia Prieß-Buchheit, Kiel University, Author of the forthcoming STOA study on 'Open science and the effects of generative artificial intelligence on scientific exchange'

15:40 - 15:50 Recommendations for policymakers from the BEYOND guidelines, Rosemarie de la Cruz Bernabe, University of Oslo

15:50 - 16:00 The perspective of research integrity offices, Bert Seghers, Flemish Commission for Research Integrity, President of the European Network of Research Integrity Offices (ENRIO)

16:00 - 16:10 Integrity, trust in science and academic freedom, Giulia Pollarolo, Barcelona Institute for Global Health

16:10 - 16:40 Panel discussion - Moderated by Rosemarie de la Cruz Bernabe

16:40 - 16:55 Q&A session

16:55 - 17:00 Closing remarks, Lina Gálvez, MEP and STOA Vice-Chair

The language of the event is English (no interpretation).

Livestream

The workshop will be available to follow online.

The livestream link will be added to this page before the event begins:

[Watch the livestream – link coming soon]