Scientific integrity
High-quality research must uphold high ethical standards. For the SNSF, scientific integrity is a key basic requirement. It thoroughly and carefully examines cases of scientific misconduct.
In research, trust is essential. The fundamental principles of research integrity are honesty, accountability, respect towards colleagues and reliability towards society. In order to clarify difficult questions relating to potential violations of these principles, to investigate plagiarism and to conduct proceedings, the SNSF relies on its ad hoc commission for handling scientific integrity cases (the Commission) as well as the Research Integrity Investigation Group of the SNSF Administrative Offices (Investigation Group).
The SNSF’s jurisdiction is limited to cases of violations of scientific integrity that are directly related to a research project it is funding. In the absence of an SNSF-funded grant, the SNSF has no authority to intervene. Furthermore, the role of the SNSF is subsidiary: It is primarily up to the research institutions to establish the facts and conduct the procedures.
Together with the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, swissuniversities and Innosuisse, the SNSF has drawn up a code of conduct defining the principles of scientific integrity and the requirements for a rigorous, transparent and fair procedure.
Only the research institutions are authorised to intervene in disputes relating to employment law, such as disagreements between employers and employees.
Whistleblowing
The SNSF carefully and thoroughly investigates any suspicions of scientific misconduct. Specific cases can be reported to the SNSF at any time by email.
The SNSF intervenes solely to investigate suspicions relating to projects it funds, and only in a subsidiary capacity since the primary responsibility lies with the research institutions. The SNSF does not have the authority to intervene in employment law disputes.
Procedure in the event of suspected misconduct
The SNSF investigates all alleged cases of scientific misconduct. In the event of suspicions of scientific misconduct, the Investigation Group shall be informed and shall conduct a preliminary examination. If the allegations are verifiable, the Commission examines the case in detail. Should the suspicion be confirmed, it initiates a formal investigation. If the alleged violation occurred at a research institution, that institution – usually the employer – is primarily responsible for the case. In this event, the SNSF waits before launching its own investigation until the results of the proceedings conducted by the responsible institution are available. The Commission then examines whether all aspects relating to the SNSF have been sufficiently clarified. If this is not the case, the Commission conducts its own proceedings.
The Commission assesses whether any further clarifications, reprimands or further sanctions are necessary and forwards its recommendations to the Academic Board of the Research Council; the Academic Board makes the final decision.
The presumption of innocence applies to all proceedings. Those concerned are given the opportunity to present their view of the case. Even after a suspected case has been confirmed, the identities of those concerned remain confidential.
Plagiarism check
Most scientific misconduct proceedings at the SNSF concern plagiarism. For this reason, the SNSF maintains a Investigation Group, which investigates allegations and regularly carries out random checks on around 5 per cent of research applications. The reports of the Investigation Group are published in anonymised form in the annual reports.
Protection of personal integrity
“Violations of personal integrity refer to attacks against a person. These are behaviours that transgress boundaries and damage a person’s self-esteem” (see the brochure published by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SECO). Violations of personal integrity can take various forms, including bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment. The SECO brochure informs employees and management staff about the different types of violations and on how to identify the best practices to adopt.
It is the employer’s responsibility to implement the necessary measures to protect employees’ personal integrity. This includes both working environments that ensure that every employee feels respected and valued, as well as support for people who are facing problems.
As the SNSF is not the employer, its scope for action is limited. The SNSF is committed to strengthening prevention in this area. The SNSF offers individuals working on SNSF-funded projects a point of contact as well as support in identifying the channels available to them within their own institutions. To contact the SNSF:
Contacts at Swiss higher education institutions can be found on the Sexual Harassment Awareness Day website.
Reports of the committees of research integrity
The committees in the field of research integrity report annually on their activities. Cases are summarised and presented in anonymised form to protect the identities of those concerned.
Regulations and guidelines
The SNSF’s position is based on the following rules:
- Research Integrity Regulations (RI Regulations) of 19 March 2025 (PDF)
- SNSF Funding Regulations (Art. 15 and Art. 43)
- Federal Act on the Promotion of Research and Innovation (RIPA, Art. 12)
- Swiss Code of Conduct for Scientific Integrity of 2021 (PDF)
- ALLEA: The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity of 2023
- Singapore Statement on Research Integrity of 2010
- Global Research Council: Statement of Principles for Research Integrity of 2013 (PDF)