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Trust &
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Center

2.2 Scientific integrity

Scientific integrity and adherence to the principles of ‘Good Scientific Practice’ (GWP) form the foundation of excellent research at acib GmbH. As acib acts as a bridge between academic basic research and industrial application, we are fully committed to the national standards of the Austrian Agency for Scientific Integrity (ÖAWI) and the supranational guidelines of the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (ALLEA).
This European integration is essential for acib to ensure compliance with the requirements of Horizon Europe and to act as a reliable partner in international research consortia in industrial biotechnology and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

The five European pillars of research integrity

In accordance with relevant global standards – in particular the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity, the Montreal Statement on Research Integrity in Cross-Boundary Research Collaborations and the OECD Guidelines on Scientific Integrity – research at acib is based on five key areas of focus:
  • Reliability: Ensuring the quality of research, which is reflected in the planning, methodology, analysis and use of resources. We rely on methodological rigour to minimise bias from the outset.
  • Honesty: Honesty in the development, implementation, review and reporting of research, as well as in communication with others. This includes disclosing potential conflicts of interest.
  • Respect: Treating colleagues, participants, animals, society, cultural heritage and the environment with respect.
  • Accountability: Taking responsibility for research from conception to publication, for its management and organisation, and for training and supervision.
  • Objectivity: Impartiality in the development, conduct and review of research, as well as in the interpretation of data, in order to exclude biases and conflicts of interest that could cloud scientific judgement.
These cornerstones form the ethical compass that guides all scientific activity at acib. They ensure that our research results not only meet the highest academic standards, but also provide a reliable basis for industrial processing and economic innovation. For us, integrity is not merely a set of rules, but a lived attitude that underpins our excellence and credibility as a world-leading centre for industrial biotechnology.

Data integrity, electronic records and IT protection

In line with international industry standards in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors, acib follows the ALCOA+ standard for data collection and archiving. This ensures that data meets industrial audit standards even without formal GLP/GMP requirements:
  • Attributable: Each data entry must be clearly attributable to a specific person and time.
  • Legible: Data must be permanently legible and documented in a traceable manner.
  • Contemporaneous: Observations must be recorded at the time they occur.
  • Original: The primary record (raw data) must be retained; changes must be marked as such (audit trail).
  • Accurate: Data must reflect the actual observation precisely and without error.
  • Plus (+): Data must also be complete, consistent, permanent and available at all times.
Manipulation of original digital files that goes beyond mere clarification is strictly prohibited. In order to meet the requirements of a modern research environment, acib consistently relies on electronic records within the Microsoft environment (especially Microsoft OneNote) and specialised data systems. To secure these digital assets, we implement:
  • Information Protection & Labelling: System-wide labelling classifies and encrypts documents and data to ensure confidentiality and integrity throughout their entire lifecycle.
  • Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Specific rules prevent the uncontrolled outflow of sensitive research.

GLP requirements and regulatory compliance

Although acib primarily operates in the pre-competitive sector, we recognise the need for the highest documentation standards for subsequent industrial exploitation and regulatory compliance.
For projects that require strictly audit-proof documentation in accordance with GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) standards, we use the eLabJournal system as needed. This solution guarantees:
  • Complete audit trails: Every change is logged without exception.
  • Electronic signatures: Validation of data and approvals in accordance with industrial standards.
  • Regulatory compliance: The structure of the data storage system enables seamless transfer to partners in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries for their regulatory processes.

Handling of biological resources and the Nagoya Protocol

As a centre for industrial biotechnology, acib pays strict attention to ethical and legal integrity in the use of biological resources:
  • Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS): acib is committed to the principles of the Nagoya Protocol. We ensure that access to genetic resources and traditional knowledge is lawful and that the benefits of their use are shared fairly.
  • Verifiability: For all resources used in research projects, the necessary evidence, such as the Internationally Recognised Certificate of Compliance (IRCC), is kept in order to guarantee the integrity of the entire value chain.

Transparency, open science and avoidance of selective reporting

To counteract the reproducibility crisis in the life sciences, acib is committed to increased transparency:

  • Open science: We support the principle of ‘as open as possible, as protected as necessary’. This promotes scientific progress through free access to findings (open access) and data (open data), provided that there are no overriding industrial confidentiality interests.
  • Pre-registration: Where methodologically appropriate, we encourage the pre-registration of research designs and hypotheses to prevent selective reporting or the concealment of negative results (publication bias).
  • Reporting of negative results: acib expressly encourages researchers to publish zero results or negative results, as these are essential for industrial progress and the avoidance of misguided investments.

Prevention of scientific misconduct

Scientific misconduct occurs when false statements are made deliberately or through gross negligence in a scientific context, when the intellectual property of others is infringed upon, or when their research activities are impaired. acib does not tolerate any form of:
  • Fabrication: The presentation of fictitious results.
  • Falsification of data: The manipulation of research materials, equipment or processes, as well as the concealment of undesirable results.
  • Plagiarism: The unlawful appropriation of third-party ideas, texts or results without appropriate attribution.
  • Unfair authorship: The naming of persons as authors who have not made a substantial scientific contribution (honorary authorship), or the concealment of legitimate contributors. Leadership positions alone do not justify authorship.
  • Sabotage of research activities: The wilful damage of experiments, equipment, documents or data belonging to other researchers.

Authorship, publishing and the use of AI

Publications and scientific contributions form the foundation for the reputation of researchers and the entire centre. This is inextricably linked to the protection of intellectual property, which plays a key strategic role in the application-oriented research conducted by acib. As recipients of public funding, we also see publications as an essential return to society. They are the ‘price’ for public support, through which we make generated knowledge generally accessible and thus strengthen the innovation location in the long term.
In this context, acib states that the centre has secured the necessary rights of use for all scientific works of its employees in order to safeguard these goals. This ensures seamless exploitation in accordance with the cooperation agreements and protects the centre’s ability to act vis-à-vis industry partners and publishers.

Beyond purely technical excellence, we bear a high level of social and societal responsibility: scientific publications must meet ethical standards, contribute to solving global challenges and maintain the integrity of science in the public eye.

  • Criteria for authorship: Only those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, data collection or writing of a publication are considered authors. All authors bear full responsibility for the content of the publication.
  • Use of artificial intelligence (AI): The use of generative AI or large language models (LLMs) in the writing process or data analysis must be made transparent. AI systems cannot claim authorship. Researchers bear sole responsibility for the accuracy of AI-generated content and must ensure that no copyrights are infringed. Further details and our specific guidelines can be found at acib.at/ai.
  • Transparency of funding and dependencies: Every publication must contain a clear disclosure of all funding sources. This serves to avoid hidden conflicts of interest and ensures that the origin of public and private funds is traceable at all times.
  • Acknowledgements and final statements: For compliance and transparency reasons, acib undertakes to explicitly name all partners involved (both academic and industrial) as well as funding bodies (e.g. FFG, EU, federal states) in the acknowledgements or final declarations. This documents the cooperative achievement and is a mandatory requirement for fulfilling contractual reporting obligations.
  • Kriterien für Autorschaft: Autor*in ist nur, wer einen wesentlichen Beitrag zur Konzeption, Datenerhebung oder Abfassung geleistet hat. Alle Autor*innen tragen die volle Mitverantwortung für den Inhalt der Publikation.
  • Einsatz von Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI): Die Nutzung von generativer KI oder Large Language Models (LLMs) im Schreibprozess oder bei der Datenanalyse muss transparent gemacht werden. KI-Systeme können keine Autorschaft beanspruchen. Forschende tragen die alleinige Verantwortung für die Richtigkeit der durch KI generierten Inhalte und müssen sicherstellen, dass keine Urheberrechte verletzt werden. Weitere Details und unsere spezifischen Leitlinien finden Sie unter www.acib.at/de/ki.
  • Finanzierungs- und Abhängigkeitstransparenz: Jede Publikation muss eine klare Offenlegung sämtlicher Finanzierungsquellen (Funding Sources) enthalten. Dies dient der Vermeidung von versteckten Interessenkonflikten und stellt sicher, dass die Herkunft öffentlicher wie privater Mittel jederzeit nachvollziehbar ist.
  • Acknowledgements und Schlusserklärungen: Aus Compliance- und Transparenzgründen verpflichtet sich acib zur expliziten Nennung aller beteiligten Partner (sowohl akademisch als auch industriell) sowie der Fördergeber (z. B. FFG, EU, Länder) in den Danksagungen oder Schlusserklärungen. Dies dokumentiert die kooperative Leistung und ist eine zwingende Voraussetzung zur Erfüllung vertraglicher Berichtspflichten.
Strict adherence to these standards not only protects the individual integrity of the researchers, but also ensures the resilience of the entire acib value chain. Transparency about dependencies and the fair naming of all participants are not an end in themselves, but the necessary basis for the credibility and lasting success of our industrial and academic collaborations.

Supervision, promotion of young talent and leadership culture

acib sees itself as closely intertwined with its scientific partners as an industry- and application-oriented training centre for the next generation of top researchers. Since our focus is on translation and industrial exploitation – and not on pure basic research – we specifically prepare researchers for the demands of the real world of applied science.
  • Role model function: Experienced scientists and project managers are responsible for communicating the GWP rules and providing appropriate support to young researchers.
  • Prevention of abuse of power: We promote an environment of mutual respect. Dependency relationships must never lead to scientific standards being compromised in favour of the personal interests of superiors. acib protects young scientists through clear mentoring structures.
  • Performance culture (DORA-compliant): We promote a working environment that prioritises quality over quantity and recognises diverse scientific outputs (including data sets, patents and software) equally. Pressure to perform must never be used as a justification for neglecting scientific rigour.
acib is also expressly committed to promoting so-called mosaic careers. We support and enable career models that are characterised by flexibility and conscious switching between different institutional sectors (academia, industry, entrepreneurship). Our collaborations extend far beyond traditional employment relationships and include diverse, cross-project forms of cooperation. In this way, we keep the flow of knowledge between science and industry alive and strengthen individual career paths across rigid institutional boundaries.

Dealing with allegations and ombudsman system

In order to protect integrity, acib has established clear processes for dealing with suspicious circumstances:
  • Confidentiality and protection (whistleblower protection): Reports of potential misconduct are treated with strict confidentiality. acib guarantees that whistleblowers acting in good faith will not suffer any professional disadvantages. Similarly, accused persons are protected from prejudgement.
  • Ombudspersons: In complex cases, acib ensures independent investigation by external experts through its cooperation with the ÖAWI.
  • Investigation procedure: In the event of substantiated allegations, an investigation commission is appointed to examine the facts of the case in accordance with recognised procedural rules.
  • Sanctions: Depending on its severity, proven misconduct will result in consequences under labour law, the withdrawal of project management powers or the notification of specialist journals and funding bodies.

Our reporting address research-integrity@acib.at is also available as a contact address for questions regarding research integrity and for reports in critical cases.

Research safety, IPR and industrial responsibility

  • Dual-use assessment & research security: For projects with the potential for misuse, a regular risk-benefit assessment is carried out in line with Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). We sensitise our teams to the dangers of uncontrolled technology transfer.
  • Scientific independence & IP integrity: acib guarantees that results will not be embellished or suppressed due to commercial expectations. Publication delays to protect intellectual property rights (IPR) must be strictly limited in time and contractually fixed in advance in order to preserve academic freedom.
  • Strategic & European compliance: We are committed to complying with specific ethical screenings and national targets. This includes the implementation of a Gender Equality Plan (GEP), measures for inclusion and alignment with the goals of the Austrian FTI Pact.
  • Sustainability, Green Deal & economic resilience: acib aligns its research with the goals of the European Green Deal and systematically links these to the public interest and the strengthening of economic resilience. We proactively evaluate the contribution of our biotechnological solutions to resource efficiency, climate protection and the establishment of a circular bioeconomy. We understand sustainability not only as an ecological imperative, but also as a strategic lever for securing Europe’s technological sovereignty and making our industrial partners crisis-proof in a volatile global environment.
  • Economic and social ethics: We reflect on the socio-economic impact of our innovations. This includes compliance with economic ethical standards in global value chains and consideration of social ethical aspects in the development of new technologies (e.g. genetics, synthetic biology).

Venture integrity and spin-off compliance

  • Breed funding & venture incubation: With ‘breed funding’, acib has established a model that starts even before the classic pre-seed phases. This form of venture-based start-up financing makes it possible to specifically test visionary scientific approaches for their entrepreneurial viability before they are transferred to formal venture structures.
  • Joint control & control rights: We implement joint control mechanisms for acib-based venture projects. While the focus is uncompromisingly on scientific progress and administrative bureaucracy is minimised, acib secures control and information rights that are effectively equivalent to those of a direct equity investment. This protects the interests of the centre and public funding bodies without hampering the agility of the founding team.
  • IP cleanliness: We ensure that the chain of title for all technologies developed at the centre is fully documented. This is a basic prerequisite for the financial viability of spin-offs by professional investors.
  • Freedom to Operate (FTO): acib supports projects in the early analysis of the patent landscape to ensure that scientific breakthroughs can also be exploited economically in a legally secure manner.
  • Avoiding conflicts of interest in start-ups: We regulate the separation between the role of scientist at the centre and the role of founder or shareholder of a spin-off through clear agreements (conflict of interest management) in order to maintain the objectivity of research.

Requirements of global foundations and NGOs

acib recognises the specific ethical requirements of large international foundations (e.g. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust) and actively integrates these into its research strategy:
  • Global Access & Equitable Sharing: We are committed to the principles of global access to ensure that innovations resulting from foundation funding remain accessible and affordable on fair terms, even in resource-poor regions. This includes a willingness to manage research results in such a way that humanitarian goals are not hindered by restrictive commercialisation strategies.
  • Radical Open Access & Open Science: At the request of our partners, we consistently focus on ‘open science’. We guarantee the immediate, unrestricted publication of research data and publications (gold open access) in order to enable the global exchange of knowledge without financial barriers and to accelerate progress in critical areas of biotechnology.
  • Equitable Licensing & Fair IP Marketing: When marketing intellectual property from foundation projects, we pursue socially acceptable licensing models. We integrate clauses that ensure equal access for disadvantaged population groups and reject IP strategies if they contradict the social impact goals of the funding.
  • Ethics by Design: We integrate ethical considerations into the research design phase in order to maximise the social impact and environmental sustainability of our solutions. In addition, we offer dedicated work packages for ethical issues for EU and other collaborative projects in cooperation with our partners to ensure professional support and compliance throughout the entire project duration.

Corporate ESG & Sustainability Integration

In cooperation with global corporations and within the framework of international collaborative projects (e.g. EU projects), acib actively supports the implementation of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance
  • Ecological Responsibility & LCA: We offer comprehensive analyses such as life cycle assessments (LCA) and ecological footprint assessments as part of our projects. This enables our partners to provide well-founded documentation of the sustainability of biotechnological processes and supports the fulfilment of regulatory and corporate sustainability goals directly in the research process.
  • Transparency in the supply chain: acib recognises the relevance of the ethical origin of laboratory supplies and biological materials. We support our partners’ compliance requirements with regard to the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act through open communication and the integration of appropriate due diligence checks into project planning as needed.
Scientific integrity is not a bureaucratic act, but a daily practice of self-control and respect for the truth. We conduct research with passion – but always on the foundation of integrity.