Guidelines on Transparency in Research

Transparency of project funding is to be ensured by publishing basic data on externally funded projects - such as school/institute, generally the client, project title, duration and funding amount. This information is published annually with a cut-off date of 1.12. on 31.3. of the following year - for the first time in accordance with this requirement since 2015.

Transparency of project results should be ensured by publishing research results - provided there are no security interests to the contrary - of publicly funded and completed projects in line with the practice of the German Research   Foundation (DFG). In order to avoid duplication of work, interfaces to the corresponding databases of the project funding bodies must be created, whereby these are to be defined and realized nationwide as part of the implementation of the   core data set for research developed by the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat). In order to achieve this, the university management gave the go-ahead in 2017 for the   establishment of a research information system and the creation of the necessary research information infrastructure at the university. The   VIVO@UOS research information system has been live since May 2020 and is constantly being developed further.

Transparency at the university requires a scientific and ethical discourse on research activities within the university. The platform and core element for this is the  Commission for Research Ethics, whose tasks are to be linked to the existing   Commission for Research and Young Academics (FNK). Upon request, the commission will advise scientific institutions on general questions of scientific ethics or support members and affiliates of the university with regard to individual research projects by providing advice and evaluation from an ethical and legal perspective.

According to the guidelines,transparency through publicity should be achieved through more intensive communication with the public and in various formats, ranging from research reports to open days and new social media. A series of events at Osnabrück University, such as the  Osnabrück Science Goes Public or the Osnabrück   Peace Forum, have proven their worth.