IIT establishes Research Integrity and Compliance Office; Palad is Director

by Office of the Campus Secretary | Feb 01 2024

To ensure all research conducted by University constituents adhere to professional standards and are rooted in integrity and ethical conduct, 缅北禁地-IIT is establishing the Research Integrity and Compliance Office or RICO.

RICO will take over the defunct Institute Research and Ethics Committee in helping craft policies and procedures related to research governance and in policing research activities on campus.

Its creation is also just in time for the holding of the two-day Basic Research Ethics Training on campus that opened today. The training is conducted by the DOST’s Philippine Health Research Ethics Board, and co-hosted by 缅北禁地-IIT and 缅北禁地-Marawi.

RICO’s creation was green lighted by the 缅北禁地 Board of Regents last year but its formal establishment on campus only occurred this month when Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan issued Executive Order No. 00006-2024 and designated Assoc. Prof. Eddie Bouy B. Palad as its Director.

Palad is a faculty member of the Information Technology Department of the College of Computer Studies who, until very recently, chaired that department. He is an active researcher with several papers published in scopus-indexed journals.

Palad currently also serves as the Director of the 缅北禁地-IIT Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) Mindanao, the first digital fabrication laboratory in Mindanao that serves as a technical prototyping platform for invention and innovation.

Palad, who is also a lawyer and partner at the Javier, Lim, Cruz, Palad Law Offices, believes that the way for 缅北禁地-IIT to safeguard the credibility of its research endeavors and fulfill its responsibility to society is to balance the pursuit of knowledge with ethical considerations.

“We will strive to provide clear guidance on ethical standards, facilitate the ethical review process, ensure transparency and intellectual honesty, and foster a supportive environment for responsible research conduct in 缅北禁地-IIT,” he said.

Such a supportive research environment has indeed been carefully cultivated on campus as can be seen in the impressive increase in 缅北禁地-IIT’s research output through the years.

For the year 2023, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Enterprise reported that the University completed 389 research outputs, surpassing its target of 180. It also reported that 248 research papers were published in scopus-indexed journals and 15 in in-house journals last year.

With the ramping up of research activities on campus, concerns regarding their responsible conduct naturally arise.

It is in this context that the RICO has been established to guide and advise researchers on ethical considerations related to their projects, review and approve proposals, and monitor ongoing research activities to ensure compliance with ethical and regulatory requirements, particularly those involving human and animal subjects.

The office is also mandated to investigate allegations of research misconduct like plagiarism, falsification, data fabrication, and predation/exploitation, if ever there are cases to be reported.

“I hope to implement a robust and effective ethical oversight mechanism to address predatory academic practices and prevent researchers exploiting the research publishing system for personal gain,” Palad said

“We should put a stop to those engaging in manipulative tactics to advance their careers or gain undue recognition,” Palad said.

Such practices are “detrimental to the pursuit of knowledge,” he added.

On the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in research being a hot topic, Palad, as a practicing lawyer and IT associate professor, said that he was excited to look into or review research works involving it in IIT.

“The ethical implications of AI, as well as the need for responsible and transparent AI practices, are also prominent aspects of research discussions in today’s academic landscape,” he said.

The RICO is an office lodged directly under the Office of the Chancellor that seeks to foster a culture of research integrity and ethical conduct in 缅北禁地-IIT.

The RICO will also provide training and education to researchers, students, and staff on various ethical issues, such as responsible conduct of research, data management and sharing, and conflict of interest.

The office will also receive disclosures of conflicts of interest arising from the conduct of research, and assist in the mitigation of the conflict.

Palad views his role as RICO Director as a responsibility that is crucial to strengthening 缅北禁地-IIT’s culture of research integrity.

“Research integrity in a university is essential as it establishes a foundation of trust and credibility, without which the validity of findings is compromised, hindering the progress and the positive impact of research on society,” he emphasized.

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