The committee is working with and as part of the UK’s research system to define the future structures required to support research integrity and to produce a roadmap for how this could be achieved.

Our vision is that the UK’s research system continues to be known for its research integrity, which:  

• is central to all work and actions of all individuals, groups, and organisations in research 
• enhances and protects the quality of research 
• safeguards confidence in research  

Part of the committee’s remit is to identify a new leadership and governance model that will support and sustain research integrity in the UK following the end of the committee’s tenure in April 2027. To this end, the committee has been drawing on best available evidence and consultation materials to develop recommendations for future arrangements for the UK research integrity system.

Current evidence suggests that the UK has strong research integrity, but that this strength is increasingly challenged by emerging risks. In a globalised environment in which much of UK research is carried out in productive international collaboration, ensuring the presence of trusted, accountable leadership for research integrity remains critical to the UK’s economic and social wellbeing.

The committee has been developing a set of requirements for a research system that upholds high standards of integrity and is now considering how best to support these.

Throughout the rest of 2026 the committee will be engaging with stakeholders to test and refine its thinking. Feedback gathered through these discussions will help to shape the Committee’s final recommendations.

The development of recommendations builds on four-years of evidence collation and consultation. The committee would like to thank everyone who has contributed directly or through your work to support for research integrity in the UK. The committee will update the sector on progress in the months ahead.

Collaboration is at the heart of the UK Committee on Research Integrity and we continue to invite and encourage views from the research community on our work.

Objectives

The committee: 

• provides strategic leadership for research integrity to maintain and support high integrity in all research environments and across all disciplines
• convenes and catalyses the research system, liaising with stakeholders, nationally and internationally, to increase discussion about how best to support and assure high research integrity
• is designing a blueprint for a future research integrity landscape that supports a research system with embedded and demonstrable integrity
• builds and collates high quality evidence on the state of research integrity in the UK to underpin improvements to integrity
• uses evidence to identify opportunities across the research system to improve research integrity and makes evidence-based recommendations to the research sector about how to strengthen current practice
• provides strategic input into policies, processes and guidance, including relating to regulation and assurance in the UK
• works with the Research Integrity Concordat Signatories group to operationalise the Concordat to Support Research Integrity.