Austrian Agency for Research Integrity

The Austrian Agency for Research Integrity was set up as an association in accordance with the Austrian Associations Act. The agency was founded by 12 Austrian universities, the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF), IST Austria and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).

The agency is responsible for investigating alleged cases of scientific misconduct in Austria in a professional manner, evaluating the severity of each offense, and making recommendations on subsequent actions. The tasks of investigation and evaluation have been assigned to an independent body called the Commission for Research Integrity, which includes distinguished scholars from outside Austria.

The Agency for Research Integrity is neither a decision-making body nor a unit with adjudicative powers. It offers a neutral and factual platform for investigating (alleged) cases of scientific misconduct thoroughly and objectively. The commission can be approached by any individual or institution within Austria and is free to decide whether an allegation should be pursued or disregarded. The normative power of the commission's work results from its unprejudiced, objective review of cases, which will hopefully make the commission an important benchmark for scientific integrity in Austria. In addition, the agency issues recommendations as to what should be regarded as scientific misconduct, how to identify it, and how to avoid it.