View source for Report:A46cd7d4-4270-4d14-8501-26f9acbb39a8

{{Report
|Report Type=Country Report Cards
|Title=Luxembourg
|Has Location=Luxembourg
|Research Infrastructure=In 2019 there were 3,158 full-time researchers in Luxembourg (1). The Luxembourg research ecosystem comprises the University of Luxembourg, including 3 faculties and 3 interdisciplinary research centres, 4 public research institutes (2) and other public and private research organisations (3).
{{{!}} class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="756"
{{!}} width="354" valign="top"{{!}}'''Organisation'''
{{!}} width="402" valign="top"{{!}}'''City'''
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="354" valign="top"{{!}}'''University'''
{{!}} width="402" valign="top"{{!}}
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="354" valign="top"{{!}}[https://wwwen.uni.lu/ University  of Luxembourg]
{{!}} width="402" valign="top"{{!}}Esch-sur-Alzette
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="354" valign="top"{{!}}[https://www.list.lu/fr/ LIST]
{{!}} width="402" valign="top"{{!}}Esch-sur-Alzette
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="354" valign="top"{{!}}[https://www.liser.lu/ LISER]
{{!}} width="402" valign="top"{{!}}Esch-sur-Alzette
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="354" valign="top"{{!}}[https://www.lih.lu/ LIH]
{{!}} width="402" valign="top"{{!}}Luxembourg, Strassen, Esch-sur-Alzette, Dudelange
{{!}}}
|Research Funding=In 2018, the gross expenditures on research and development were €704.5 million (4) which comprises 1.2% of the country’s GDP (5). Most funding was spent in the business sector (53.24%), government (26.04%) and higher education sector (20.7%) (4). 

In 2020, Luxembourg had 509 signed grants in H2020 projects, receiving €189,1 million funding from H2020 (6). It also had 16 signed grants receiving €24,05 million from H2020 (6).
|Research Strategy=The Luxembourg Government has launched the “National Research and Innovation Strategy”. The Strategy aims to provide the general framework that will allow for a targeted development of Luxembourg’s research ecosystem in the future. In addition, the government intends to maximise the impact of research on the country’s progress, and to position Luxembourg as a major international player visible through its research activities (7).
|Research Governance=Luxembourg has four national bodies for research ethics and research integrity: The National Research Ethics Committee (CNER) (8), National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) (9), National Consultative Ethics Committee for Life Sciences and Health (CNE) (10) and National Commission for Research Integrity - The Luxembourg Agency for Research Integrity (LARI) (11). 

Luxembourg does not have a national code of research conduct, but all research institutions have developed guidelines and policies for good research practice, research integrity, and ethics in research. In most cases, Luxembourg follows the guidelines of the [https://allea.org/code-of-conduct/ European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity] and of the League of European Research Universities “Towards a Research Integrity Culture at Universities: from recommendation to implementation” (12). 

The University of Luxembourg has established several committees for handling questions in the field of research ethics. 

-       The Ethics Advisory Committee provides advice on ethical issues involved in the activities of the university’ community, addresses complaints, and conducts investigations regarding alleged discrimination at the university. The investigation and advice are provided upon request of the University Council or the Rectorate (12). 

-       The ombudsman's office offers conflict management coaching, shuttle diplomacy, mediation, restorative circles and conferences to mitigate workplace conflicts (13). 

-       The Ethics Review Panel is responsible for providing ethics reviews of research proposals and publications regarding human participants, human biological material, animals, or potentially harmful changes to the environment (14). 

-       The Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee (AEEC) is responsible for ensuring, on behalf of the University of Luxembourg, that care and use of animals for research and teaching are conducted in compliance with the law regulating the protection of animals used for scientific purposes (14). 

-       The Biosafety Committee is responsible for ensuring compliance with the biosafety policies and measures at the University of Luxembourg (15). 

-       The doctoral education agreement (DEA) defines the role and duties of the supervisee and the supervisor and describes the tasks foreseen in the doctoral thesis work plan. It also provides information and contacts related to data protection, intellectual property, ethics and research integrity. Should a conflict persist, an escalation path is proposed (16). 

-       The University hosts a Dispute Committee is an independent administrative body, yet internal to the institution, whose mission is to decide, in law, according to an adversarial (quasi-judicial) procedure, certain categories of disputes between, on the one hand, the “users” of the University (ie current students, former students and / or potential students of the University of Luxembourg) and, on the other hand, the decision-making bodies of the University of Luxembourg (17). 

The Luxembourg Agency for Research Integrity (LARI) is responsible for handling alleged cases of research misconduct. The cases are investigated by the Commission for the Research Integrity (CRI) which is a part of LARI (18). The Commission may be called upon by any person or organisation with a legal capacity which has knowledge of suspected scientific misconduct occurring in LARI member organisations. Moreover, the Commission may also investigate cases of suspected scientific misconduct on their own initiative. If the case of alleged misconduct has happened more than 10 years ago, the Commission can refuse to handle the cases. After reviewing the case, the commission will take the decision to conduct an investigation, not to initiate an investigation, or suspend the case (18). 

If the Commission decides to initiate the investigation, its decision will be sent to the person or organisation that has reported the case, the person(s) to whom the allegations refer to, the head of the affected research institution, and the National Research Fund (FNR) if the case occurs in relation with the FNR funded project or researcher. In exceptional cases, the Commission can decide not to communicate the decision to abovementioned parties due to the higher priority of protecting the accused person. Upon completion of the investigation, the Commission member leading the investigation shall compose a summary opinion which contains an assessment of the results of the investigation. This will be presented to other members for approval. The opinion is further sent to the person or institution which called upon Commission if it is directly affected by allegations, and to the person to whom the allegation referred. The opinion is also sent to the LARI Board for information purposes (18).

Luxembourg law does not have a formal definition of the term “whistleblowing”. There are specific provisions in the Labour Code designed to protect public and private sector employees who report alleged corruption or abuse of influence in their workplace. The employees are protected if the reports are made in good faith. These provisions protect employees from employment agreement reprisals and terminations due to whistleblowing (19).
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{{!}} width="297" valign="top"{{!}}'''Bodies  for RE+RI'''
{{!}} width="455" valign="top"{{!}}'''Scope'''
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="297" valign="top"{{!}}[https://lari.lu/about/about-lari/ The Luxembourg Agency for Research Integrity (LARI)] 
<br />
{{!}} width="455" valign="top"{{!}}Provides free research ethics consultations for  researchers. It is also responsible for addressing cases of alleged research  misconduct.
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="297" valign="top"{{!}}[https://www.cner.lu/en-gb/About-us National Research Ethics Committee (CNER)]
{{!}} width="455" valign="top"{{!}}It is responsible for the protection of participants  in clinical trials involving experimental drugs, therapies and medical  devices. Besides clinical trials, CNER protects people included in different  research studies, e.g. academic research.
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="297" valign="top"{{!}}[https://cne.public.lu/fr/commission.html The National Consultative Commission of Ethics for  Life Sciences and Health (CNE)]
{{!}} width="455" valign="top"{{!}}It is responsible for addressing ethical concerns in  the fields of biology, medicine, and health. The Committee can address  concerns on its own initiative or at the request of Government and respective  European Directives.
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="297" valign="top"{{!}}[https://cnpd.public.lu/en/commission-nationale/missions.html National Data Protection  Commission (CNPD)]
{{!}} width="455" valign="top"{{!}}CNPD verifies the legality of the processing of  personal data and ensures that the personal freedom and rights regarding data  protection are respected. Research projects involving humans also have to be  notified to or authorized by the CNPD.
{{!}}}
|Law And Regulation=A number of laws address RE and RI in Luxembourg are transposing EU Law. 
{{{!}} class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="760"
{{!}} width="295" valign="top"{{!}}'''Law'''
{{!}} width="465" valign="top"{{!}}'''Scope'''
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="295" valign="top"{{!}}[http://legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/rgd/2002/10/17/n1/jo Grand-Ducal  Regulation:]

[http://legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/rgd/2002/10/17/n1/jo Contained  use of genetically modified organisms (transposing EU Directive 1998/81)]
{{!}} width="465" valign="top"{{!}}It sets the criteria for classifying  genetically modified organisms and their uses. It also defines the security  measures and the containment procedures relating to these uses.
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="295" valign="top"{{!}}[http://legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/rgd/2005/05/30/n5/jo Clinical  trials in human medicines (transposing EU Directive 2001/20/CE)]
<br />
{{!}} width="465" valign="top"{{!}}Lays down specific provisions  concerning the conduct of clinical trials, including multicentre trials,  carried out on human being and relating to medicinal products as defined by  the law of 1993 regulating the placing on the market and advertising of  medicinal products.
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="295" valign="top"{{!}}[http://legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/rgd/2013/01/11/n2/jo Protection  of animals used in scientific research (transposing EU Directive 2010/63/UE)]
<br />
{{!}} width="465" valign="top"{{!}}Establishes measures for the  protection of animals used for scientific or educational purposes.
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="295" valign="top"{{!}}[https://deiereschutzgesetz.lu/la-loi/chapitre-8-protection-des-animaux-utilises-a-des-fins-scientifiques/ Law  on the protection of animal life, security and welfare (Chapter 8, Article  13)]
<br />
{{!}} width="465" valign="top"{{!}}Limits animal experiments and  experiences which can cause pain, aliments or damage to animals  to what is strictly necessary.
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="295" valign="top"{{!}}[http://legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/loi/2001/04/18/n2/jo Law of 18 April 2001 on copyright, neighboring rights  and databases (transposing EU Directive 2001/84)]
<br />
{{!}} width="465" valign="top"{{!}}Establishes rules on copyright,  neighbouring rights and databases.
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="295" valign="top"{{!}}[http://legilux.public.lu/eli/etat/leg/loi/2002/08/02/n2/jo Law of 2 August 2002 on the protection of individuals  with regard to the processing of personal data (transposing EU Directive  1995/46/CE)] 
<br />
{{!}} width="465" valign="top"{{!}}Establishes rules for protection of  personal data.
{{!}}}
|Measure=<u>RI training </u>

LARI provides research ethics and integrity training via the CAPRI (Creative Approaches Promoting Research Integrity) program. It also has a program of Peer Coaching which guides researchers in designing, conducting, recording, monitoring, auditing, analysis, and reporting of research (20). 

Within its doctoral education framework, the University of Luxembourg organizes training courses aiming at acquiring Transferable Skills (21). The offer in Transferable Skills training includes courses in research ethics in science and principles of good research practice as well as training activities aiming at increasing employability.

Luxembourg Institute of Health has doctoral training and among others, it covers an area of good research practice. Moreover, the Institute of Health provides training and workshops for early staged researchers to help them develop skills for their future career (22). 

At LIST, rising awareness on good research practices, ethics and research integrity is part of the onboarding programme for new employees. For Q4 2021, specific training will be defined on Ethics in Research and Research Integrity providing targeted content for the different audiences: researchers, PhD candidates, administrative staff and others.

Several research institutions have developed their guidelines for RE+RI training:

[https://storage.fnr.lu/index.php/s/O4DDe2SgEL0N9J5#pdfviewer National Policy on Open Access]

[https://laridotlu.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/univofluxresearch-guidelineserp2018.pdf The University of Luxembourg – Research Ethics Guidelines]

[https://wwwen.uni.lu/media/files/university_of_luxembourg_policy_on_ethics_in_research_1020123 The University of Luxembourg – Policy on Ethics in Research]

[https://wwwen.uni.lu/university/official_documents/code_of_conduct The University of Luxembourg – Code of Conduct]

[https://wwwfr.uni.lu/formations/doctoral_education/doctoral_education_agreement The University of Luxembourg – Doctoral Education Agreement (DEA)]

[https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/efqEXYBPR48/?utm_medium=SocialShare&utm_campaign=copy%2Bshare%2Bby%2Bowner&utm_source=player-page-social-share&utm_content=efqEXYBPR48&utm_po=21868619&mode=movie LARI - 10 Tips for Robust and Ethical Research]

[https://lari.lu/best-practice-useful-links/research-ethics-faq/ LARI Research Ethics FAQ]

[https://laridotlu.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/coachhandbookoct2018.pdf LARI Coach Handbook]

[https://storage.fnr.lu/index.php/s/bfSqYc8bLBAJrjz#pdfviewer FNR Policy on Open Access]

[https://storage.fnr.lu/index.php/s/E5PEHgLc0hcOnXE#pdfviewer FNR Research Integrity Guidelines]

[https://storage.fnr.lu/index.php/s/iFJGbUlpQEtvWRg#pdfviewer FNR Ethics Charter and Code of Conduct for Research Assessment]

[https://www.fnr.lu/nqfdt-assessment-report/ FNR National Quality Framework for Doctoral Training] 

LIST Code of Ethics (publicly available in 2021 Q4), currently available on LIST Intranet.


<u>RI dialogue and communication</u>

There is a cooperation between various institutions for RE+RI in Luxembourg. The National Ethics Committee (CNER) cooperates with the National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) which has one member attending the national ethics committee meeting as an observer. Also, members of CNER cooperate with LARI in the cases of research misconduct. LARI organises training courses for coaches at different research institutions (23,24). 

Through the Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research, there has been strong support for research integrity, including “fostering a culture of the integrity of research.” Public trust in science in Luxembourg is high. Moreover, according to a 2011 EU competitiveness report, “the highest trust in science and technology can be found in Malta, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg and Norway” (20).
{{{!}} class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"
{{!}} width="342" valign="top"{{!}}'''Initiatives'''
{{!}} width="409" valign="top"{{!}}'''Scope'''
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="342" valign="top"{{!}}[https://lari.lu/lari-services/researcher-training/ CAPRI program]
{{!}} width="409" valign="top"{{!}}Training
{{!}}-
{{!}} width="342" valign="top"{{!}}[https://lari.lu/lari-services/lari-peer-coaching/ LARI Peer Coaching]
{{!}} width="409" valign="top"{{!}}Training
{{!}}}
}}