By McGill Reporter Staff
A working group is being formed to conduct a scheduled triennial review and update of McGill’s policies on the responsible conduct of research, Principal Suzanne Fortier told the Board of Governors Tuesday.
Prof. Fortier said the review, which will include consultation with the McGill community, would include a new component covering ethical considerations in partnership-driven research.
“It will propose language, if necessary, that will both provide clear guidelines for McGill researchers and students who wish to collaborate with external partners while maintaining our commitment to our values and principles,” Prof. Fortier said.
“It will be good to have some policies and guidelines for contracts with outside partners,” she said, pointing to input – particularly from students – as one of the drivers of change.
“This is a good example where members of our own community have alerted us to a gap in our policies and have been instrumental in launching a very important initiative,” she said. “I think this will equip us better to do the kind of review we need to do.”
The working group will be composed of faculty members, students and staff. Three members will be appointed by the Vice-Principal (Research and International Relations), the Provost, and the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies; three members of the academic staff will be nominated by the Senate Nominating Committee; and two students will be nominated by the PGSS and SSMU.
Prof. Fortier said she expects the group to take a year to complete the work.