1. PLANNING OF RESEARCH

1.1.1 When planning research, the researcher considers the conventions and requirements of his/her research area.

1.1.2 The researcher acts in conformity with the valid principles of research ethics, standards and legal regulations, and obtains the necessary permits, approvals and consent of the ethics committee.

1.1.3 The researcher takes into consideration that the rules and conditions applying to international partners can differ from those of his/her own research institution and agrees with the partners on the regulations and standards that should be jointly followed and how to prevent potential problems.

1.1.4 During the whole research process, from planning to publication of results, the researcher assesses the conformity of research with valid requirements and regulations. If conflicts emerge, s/he informs colleagues and cooperation partners and ensures the honest and transparent solution of problems.

1.1.5 The researcher avoids agreements which groundlessly limit the application and dissemination of research data or results.

1.1.6 The researcher takes care that the intellectual property created during research receives necessary protection and agrees as early as possible with cooperation partners to whom the corresponding rights belong.

1.2.1 The researcher weighs how necessary and substantiated the planned research is.

1.2.2 In research, the researcher strives for social benefits and acts for the good of humankind. S/he assesses the potential beneficial and harmful impact of the planned research and whether the expected benefits outweigh the threats of potential damage and misuse.

1.2.3 The researcher keeps in mind the planned and unplanned ways of application of research results, including the possibilities of misuse and double use. In the case of risks, the researcher informs, depending on circumstances, the colleagues, the research institution, the ethics committee, the financers of research and other parties involved in research.

1.2.4 If necessary, the researcher involves in planning, in addition to colleagues, the persons or groups influenced by the planned research.

1.2.5 The researcher is free to decide whether to participate in research if s/he does not comply with its objectives or potential application.

1.2.6 As the leader of a research group, the researcher takes care that all the members of the research group are aware of the objectives of research, its financers, possibilities of application of results and threats of misuse.

1.3.1 The researcher decides which methods and which sample are appropriate for achieving the objectives of research, considering data protection regulations and ethical and legal restrictions.

1.3.2 The researcher weighs the potential ethical and research problems related to the method and the sample, uses vulnerable groups or individuals in research only in well-grounded cases and avoids questionable, outdated, misleading and unscientific methods.

1.3.3 The researcher ensures the methodological transparency of research and describes the stages of data collection and their analysis as exactly as possible.

1.3.4 The researcher assesses if research objectives can be achieved by reuse of data or new data have to be collected. To use public data data collections as broadly as possible and to save resources, the researcher prefers reuse of data if research questions make it feasible. If personalised data are reused, the researcher follows the regulations and restrictions of data protection.

1.4.1 The researcher assesses the sufficiency of the existing and applied resources for achieving the aims of research and avoids giving unrealistic promises to financers and the society.

1.4.2 The researcher informs financers about co-financing and avoids applying for double financing for the same activity.

1.4.3 The researcher is free to decide from which partners to accept financing and avoids sources of financing that would compromise the autonomy of the researcher or research group members or harm the impartiality of research results.

1.5.1 The research institution honours the researcher’s freedom to choose the aims and methods of research. If the research institution considers it necessary to support and direct the researcher’s activity by selecting and developing certain prioritary trends of research, the decision process must be involving, clear and transparent, considering the mission and tasks of the research institution, the need to maintain continuity and to create a flexible career model.

1.5.2 The research institution supports open and exploratory research, favouring the research of new themes, new research projects, application of different methods and initiation of new trends in research.

1.5.3 The research institution ensures the protection of intellectual property in its possession and, if necessary, supports researchers in questions related to intellectual property.

1.6.1 The research institution provides open and equal access of all researchers to the information about financing.

1.6.2 The rules of the research institution for allocating research funding are substantiated, transparent and public.

1.6.3 The principles of selection of financing and the financer are agreed at the research institution and made public.

1.6.4 The research institution ensures that, if research is conducted jointly by several research groups, the expenses and potential benefits related to research are divided fairly between all the participants.