OSTP Releases Framework for Strengthening Federal Scientific Integrity Policies and Practices

Today, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released A Framework for Federal Scientific Integrity Policy and Practice, a roadmap that will help strengthen scientific integrity policies and practices across the federal government.

This framework builds on the assessment of federal scientific integrity policies and practices described in the January 2022 report, Protecting the Integrity of Government Science, and draws from extensive input from federal agencies, as well as from across sectors, including academia, the scientific community, public interest groups, and industry. It has several key components that federal departments and agencies will use to improve scientific integrity policies and practices, including:

• A consistent definition of scientific integrity for all federal agencies
• A model scientific integrity policy to guide agencies as they build and update their policies
• A set of tools to help agencies regularly assess and improve their policies and practices

The framework requires all agencies to designate a scientific integrity official, and agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee research to designate a chief science officer, and it establishes the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Subcommittee on Scientific Integrity to oversee implementation of the framework, and evaluate agency progress.

The framework was developed following a robust effort to study and improve scientific integrity policies and outcomes, and extensive engagement with stakeholders inside and outside of the federal government starting in May 2021. This process included engaging 30 federal agencies, and processing feedback from over 1,000 individuals and organizations through three listening sessions, three roundtables, and two requests for information.

Strong policies and effective practices protecting scientific integrity are essential for the development of evidence-based policies. By bolstering these policies and practices across the federal government, this first-of-its-kind framework will strengthen the ability of agencies and federal scientists to produce critical scientific information for evidence-based policymaking that can help make our nation healthier, safer, more prosperous, and more secure.

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