Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1259. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he is considering any policy measures to remedy the "replication crisis" in the life sciences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23992/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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As set out in the Deputy's question, the replicability of research findings has emerged as a concern in a number of fields in recent years, including life sciences.

Clearly the reliability and robustness of research findings is central to scientific progress. The promotion of a culture of open research and research integrity can help support the achievement of these crucial objectives.

In terms of research integrity, the National Forum on Research Integrity (NRIF) was established in June 2015. The NRIF is coordinated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) and the Technological Higher Education Association (THEA). Ireland’s Strategy for Research & Innovation, Impact 2030, tasks the NRIF with facilitating and coordinating research integrity activities amongst signatory organisations.

Members also include representatives from the Higher Education Authority, Enterprise Ireland, Research Ireland, the Health Research Board, the Royal Irish Academy and officials from my department. My Department also provides secretariat support to the NRIF Steering Group.

The NRIF undertakes a range of activities to support research integrity policies and processes.

Ireland’s National Open Research Forum (NORF) was established in 2017 to drive the Irish agenda for open research. The National Action Plan for Open Research outlines objectives and actions for the next chapter in Ireland’s transition towards open research. The action plan serves as a roadmap for the implementation of open research across Ireland, outlining national goals and coordinated actions that will assist the research system as a whole to better support open research practices.

Research Ireland is also committed to the principles of open research. Its Interim Open Research Policy encourages sharing of research outputs, requiring peer-reviewed publications to be made openly available under a Creative Commons Attribution licence, to allow for sharing and reuse. The policy also encourages researchers to share research data via an open repository, enabling reproduction and verification of research results.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1260. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for details of any policies in place, or in development, to mitigate "p-hacking" and other forms of scientific malpractice in research and publishing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23993/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Research integrity relates to the performance of research to the highest standards of professionalism and rigour, and to the accuracy and integrity of the research record in publications and elsewhere. It is essential that the Irish research system as a whole protects its reputation for the quality and integrity of its research activity and outputs. Research integrity is best ensured, in so far as possible, when individual researchers, institutions and funding bodies work together to create effective processes.

To this end, the National Forum on Research Integrity (NRIF) was established in June 2015. The NRIF is coordinated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) and the Technological Higher Education Association (THEA). Ireland’s Strategy for Research & Innovation, Impact 2030, tasks the NRIF with facilitating and coordinating research integrity activities amongst signatory organisations.

Members also include representatives from the Higher Education Authority, Enterprise Ireland, Research Ireland, the Health Research Board, the Royal Irish Academy and officials from my department. My Department also provides secretariat support to the NRIF Steering Group.

Key responsibilities of the NRIF include support for the implementation of research integrity policies and processes in a harmonised manner across research performing organisations, supporting the development of appropriate research integrity quality assurance mechanisms; developing guidance documents, encouraging the development and roll-out of in-person research integrity training programmes. It also publishes annual statistics on the number and types of research misconduct that have been dealt with through formal mechanisms within our state-funded research performing organisations.

Research Ireland endorses both the National Policy Statement on Ensuring Research Integrity in Ireland and the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity. Research Ireland grant recipients are expected to comply with both the statement and the code of conduct, as required by the Research Ireland General Terms and Conditions.