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Abstract: This paper explores the development and use of a situational questionnaire designed to understand how ethical principles are comprehended, interpreted, and acted upon within European public research organisations. Moving beyond compliance-focused and regulatory views of research ethics, the questionnaire captures both personal and organisational perspectives on ethically sensitive situations, including principles such as reliability, honesty, respect, and accountability. Building on previous methodological work, the tool was utilised within the Joint Research Centre’s TTO Circle [1, 2] network to investigate how researchers and organisations perceive the need for ethical assessment across various scenarios. The findings highlight significant gaps between individual attitudes and institutional practices and reveal a tendency to prioritise well-established or formally regulated ethical areas over everyday research situations. The study demonstrates the usefulness of situational analysis in identifying tensions between autonomy and governance and underscores opportunities to strengthen ethics frameworks in research organisations through clearer, more transparent, and more context-aware approaches.
Keywords: public research organizations
Published in DiRROS: 14.01.2026; Views: 57; Downloads: 22
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Abstract: The OFFER and OASIS projects both provide transnational access to key nuclear research infrastructures. Since September 2022, the OFFERR project, funded by Horizon Europe/Euratom, supports the SNETP Association by providing R&D experts access to key nuclear research infrastructures across Europe. It addresses financial and logistical barriers that hinder nuclear research by offering a platform for financial support and access to more than 230 experimental facilities. Researchers can submit applications through the OFFERR Call Platform, ensuring eligible projects receive necessary funding and access. This initiative aims to accelerate innovation in nuclear energy by bridging the gap between research ideas and advanced facilities, adhering to EU regulations and fostering international collaboration. The OASIS project is funded by an Administrative Arrangement between the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) and JRC since February 2020 and aims at enhancing open access to JRC's nuclear facilities (11 out of 16 are opened) and the associated technical support. So in the OASIS project, JRC makes available its nuclear research infrastructures to external users free of charge while DG RTD provides their financial support to eligible users to cover their travel and subsistence costs. This allows an optimal use of JRC's unique facilities and nuclear materials not available to European scientists at their home institutions and results in scientific excellence in research that could otherwise not be performed. With a large participation of students and young scientists, OASIS also contributes to the training of the next generation of European scientists in various nuclear fields. Whereas the two projects have one goal, they follow complementary approaches.
Keywords: nuclear research infracstructure
Published in DiRROS: 13.01.2026; Views: 62; Downloads: 37
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Abstract: Participatory approaches are becoming paramount to harness the relationship between researchers, government, industry, and civil society to inform programs and policies. However, variability in implementation and limited standardized reporting hinder the systematic evaluation of their effectiveness. This study characterizes participatory methodologies in urban health research and proposes a framework for evaluating and reporting such approaches. Using an explanatory sequential design, this study evaluated 20 participatory pilot studies from the Urban Health Cluster (Horizon 2020 European Commission Programme), combining survey data and semi-structured interviews with project leads. The analysis identified four primary purposes for participatory methods: to assess health-environment correlations; raise awareness; co-create interventions; and assess health-related effects. Case studies exemplify each of these purposes. Findings informed a “purpose framework” nested within a theory-of-change model, which clarifies the rationale behind participatory approaches and maps their processes and intended impacts. The framework includes indicators for purpose, stakeholder involvement, participation mechanisms, facilitators, challenges, expected outcomes, and evaluation strategies, reported across all 20 projects. Public authorities (90 %) and civil society (85 %) are the most frequently engaged stakeholders, typically involved during project identification and deployment. Engagement was facilitated by shared motivation to address local needs, while long-term commitment posed challenges. Our results highlight the limited use of theory-of-change models in current practice and the value of structured frameworks for enhancing the reproducibility and transformative impact of participatory urban health research. The proposed framework can help align participatory methods with a theory of change and foster more effective urban health transformations.
Keywords: participatory research, public engagement, standardized reporting, urban health
Published in DiRROS: 03.12.2025; Views: 354; Downloads: 83
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Abstract: Objective: The digital tool REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) was implemented at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana (UMCL) with the goal of digitalising and streamlining research processes. This study aimed to assess the efficiency and transparency of clinical research following the implementation of REDCap. Methods: The implementation of REDCap for funded research began in 2021. It comprised four key steps: (I) the initial creation of Central Research Registry, followed by additional functionalities including (II) the establishment of the Central Database for ’Pre-Contract Activities’ for clinical trials; (III) the integration of Reporting on Research Progress directly into the Central Research Registry; and (IV) the development of a semi-automated Workflow for internal agreements. Results: Between 2021 and 2023, UMCL established a Central Research Registry using REDCap, transitioning from paper-based to digital data collection for over 2,500 research projects. These projects included clinical trials, national and international studies, as well as academic research. In addition to serving as a registry, the central system provided comprehensive data management, streamlined communication, and enhanced collaboration among stakeholders in clinical trial research at UMCL. The implementation of REDCap significantly reduced administrative burden and shortened the time required to finalise clinical trial agreements from 202 to 147 days. It also improved coordination, transparency, and real-time monitoring of research activities, facilitating more efficient research execution. Additionally, the digitalisation of internal agreements processes between researchers and stakeholders within UMCL improved coordination and expedited research execution timelines. Furthermore, REDCap enabled real-time monitoring of research progress, further contributing to the efficiency and transparency of research activities. Conclusion: The digitalisation of research processes using REDCap improved the organisation and execution of research, leading to greater efficiency and transparency, reduced administrative workload, and enhanced collaboration. This approach contributed to higher-quality research outcomes and ultimately benefited patient care.
Keywords: digitalisation, REDCap, clinical research, efficiency, transparency, research registry, data management
Published in DiRROS: 24.11.2025; Views: 319; Downloads: 104
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Keywords: public space, research, urban planning
Published in DiRROS: 20.11.2025; Views: 207; Downloads: 69
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