Transparency data

Research integrity concordat: Defra compliance statement 2023 to 2024

Published 18 December 2024

Introductory statement and summary of actions 

Defra is a ministerial department supported by 33 agencies and public bodies. It is responsible for improving and protecting the environment, supporting a green economy and thriving rural communities, as well as supporting our food, farming and fishing industries. 

Science and analysis underpin Defra’s policy making and delivery programmes. Defra relies on science, analytical and engineering professionals across the Defra group, on external science advice and on the latest research and innovation. 

Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) and Director of Analysis (DoA) have oversight of research activity undertaken across the Defra group. A significant amount of Defra’s research is undertaken by its 7 public sector research establishments (PSREs). 

Research integrity is integral to Defra’s mission in ensuring that its policy making is informed by sound evidence. Defra has committed to applying the principles of the concordat to support research integrity; this is the second annual statement of how these principles are being applied. 

1. Governance 

Defra group has named senior members of staff for oversight of research integrity and enquiries across core Defra and public sector research establishments (PSREs). For core Defra this is Dr Justine Bejta, Deputy CSA. The contact email is sci.eng@defra.gov.uk. 

Science and analysis across Defra group is locally managed and prioritised, with central governance structures in place to provide strategic direction and tackle cross-cutting issues and quality assurance. This includes a PSRE committee, chaired by Defra CSA, enabling discussion on matters relating to:

• research integrity 
• identification of cross-cutting priorities 
• knowledge exchange 
• sharing of best practice 

The CSA has oversight of Defra’s science system, as well as Defra’s science professionals, and has overall responsibility for overseeing and assuring Defra’s research integrity. Science and analytical professions in Defra group each have their own head of profession dealing with research integrity and are supported to this end by local lead analysts and scientists. Any concerns can also be raised through line management. 

Defra group actively engages and augments its science capability and ensures research is high quality, relevant and ethical. This is achieved through engaging science expertise including:

• internal and external expert committees 
• institutional placements 
• direct engagement with scientific and research institutes

2. Processes to support culture of research integrity 

Defra group CSA, Director of Analysis (DoA), PSRE chief scientists and heads of profession have overall responsibility for the promotion and monitoring of research integrity. They are also responsible for supporting ongoing professional development. Research is usually delivered by specialists based in the core department directorates and in Defra’s PSREs (see Annex). Defra’s PSREs each have a science or evidence strategy which reflects their goals and needs of their various stakeholders. 

Outputs from Defra group-funded research and development and other commissioned research are published externally. Publications assurance processes are implemented in the core department and Defra PSREs, ensuring the evidence is of sufficient quality to publish and that any issues relevant to research integrity are addressed prior to publication.

3. Guidance for researchers, employers and commissioners of research

Defra has guidance on key topics supporting research integrity, which is available to staff across the group on corporate repositories and profession community hubs. Defra’s intranet, which is accessible to members of the core department, as well as certain arm’s length bodies, provides guidance on key topics including: 

• quality assurance (QA) to ensure evidence and analysis is fit-for-purpose 
• peer review, including where this is appropriate 
• codes of practice with which Defra researchers are expected to comply, and how this should be documented 
• accessibility guidance, to ensure Defra publications are accessible for everyone - further work in 2024 to 2025 will ensure best practice is being followed by researchers to ensure publications are accessible

Published professional codes of practice that researchers are expected to comply with include:

• replacement, reduction and refinement (3Rs), a framework for humane animal research 
• the government analysis functional standard, which sets out expectations for the planning and undertaking of analysis to support well-informed decision making 
• the UK Statistics Authority’s code of practice for official statistics, if a project produces official statistics 
• HM Treasury’s Green Book (GOV.UK website), which sets out guidance on how policies, programmes and (capital) projects should be appraised 
• Government Social Research (GSR) code, GSR ethics assurance guidance and GSR publication guidance
• the Magenta Book (GOV.UK website) and supplementary guidance on policy impact evaluation for policy evaluation and analysis, with supplementary guidance Quality in Qualitative Evaluation: a framework for assessing research evidence
• the Aqua Book: guidance on producing quality analysis for government (GOV.UK website) for analysis and analytical models 
• evaluation reports from Defra are also required to be registered to the Government Evaluation Registry in accordance with the Government Social Research publication protocol

Defra has also published guidance on integrating a systems approach into policy and decision making. This document helps commissioners of research think more strategically about issues, as well as identify areas for collaboration across Defra and with other government departments. 

Researchers in the core department and Defra PSREs are also supported through professional development and learning opportunities, to ensure they have access to the right tools to carry out their roles effectively.

Defra and its PSREs will continue to review their guidance documents to ensure the principles of the concordat to support research integrity are fully embedded and referenced.

4. Training and awareness raising 

In Defra group, the CSA, DoA and chief scientists of its PSREs are responsible for ensuring that the scientists and analysts are appropriately supported in their professional development and have access to the right tools to carry out their roles effectively.

Staff in Defra PSREs and the core department work closely with heads of profession, for example to develop shared plans for learning and development. This ensures that the professions have the tools and facilities, the skills, deep expertise and experience that will enable effective communication of insights and deliver impact into decision-making.

The Government Science and Engineering Profession (GSEP) Career Framework, which is applicable to scientists and engineers in Defra, lists understanding and application of the concordat to support research integrity amongst the technical skills for the GSE profession.

Defra has raised awareness of the concordat to support research integrity with the chief scientists of its PSREs and with lead scientists across the core department, through regular PSRE committee meetings and lead scientists meetings. In addition, some Defra PSREs, including the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, provide access to online training courses on research integrity, including Epigeum: Research Integrity course and UKRIO’s Introduction to Research Integrity online training course. We will continue to develop further opportunities for training and awareness raising on the concordat across Defra group.

5. External engagement

Defra evidence specialists engage extensively with external organisations and institutions on a range of research issues. This involves face-to-face activity as well as online engagement. A key example of the latter is Defra group’s research and innovation interests. This publication sets out Defra’s high-level areas of research and innovation interest, and in so doing aims to support ongoing and new engagement with the external research community on high quality research.

The Defra Research and Development Fellowship Programme has also enabled further engagement with academic organisations. Launched in 2024 to 2025, and running again in 2025 to 2026, this programme provides an opportunity for scientists and analysts to experience working in a policy environment. In Defra group, strong academic collaborations and partnership working enables dialogue and testing of ideas and approaches against those of others. International collaborations enable specialists to engage with multi-national and global research initiatives.

Defra has previously engaged in a cross-government concordat working group (CWG), coordinated by the Government Office for Science (GOS) which last met in April 2023. Engagement on research integrity has continued on a more informal basis with GOS, to discuss continuing to implement the concordat within government.

6. Open science and research protocols 

Defra group have developed and adopted an open access publication policy, published February 2024. This follows the lead of UKRI and the mandate in the government’s UK research and development roadmap, which requires research outputs funded by the UK government to be made freely available to the taxpayer.

In order to implement the policy, funding is provided to make research available open access. We are continuing to work across the Defra group to implement this long-term and monitor the policy, to ensure the outputs of our funded research are accessible to all of society.

7. Publication of research 

Openness and transparency in publication of R&D helps ensure research outputs resulting from public funding benefit businesses, other researchers and wider society. Defra promotes R&D through appropriate communications activity including via the media and to stakeholders.

Defra group R&D is available through peer-reviewed journals, trade articles and through repositories. In the core department, R&D reports are now published on the new system Science Search, replacing the previous database (OMNICOM). Science Search is designed to be more efficient, modern and effective, removing barriers that can impact staff and public discovery and use our evidence base. This is an important step in integrating Defra’s science and evidence publications in evidence bases commonly used across academia and industry to share and develop knowledge further. Similar repositories exist across Defra group. Defra publications are also legally required to be accessible, so that everyone can read and understand the information they contain. Further work is required in 2024 to 2025 to ensure researchers are following best practice principles and ensuring their research is accessible for everyone.

In addition, Defra group encourages evidence specialists and contractors to publish research in peer reviewed academic journals. 

8. Research misconduct 

Research misconduct is defined as behaviours or actions which do not meet ethical standards, research and scholarship required to ensure integrity is being upheld.

R&D contracts are overseen by R&D managers who are responsible for monitoring the delivery of research. Standard contracts ensure that terms are in place to deal with any alleged research misconduct.

Defra civil servants can report allegations of research misconduct to their line managers or confidentially via the Civil Service Code, which sets out standards of behaviour and responsibilities, including conflicts of interest. Defra core department and PSREs have nominated points of contact which act as a confidential liaison for whistleblowers, overseen by the Civil Service Commission, which covers research misconduct. Some Defra PSREs have also instigated research ethics committees.

In addition, codes of practice exist for certain government professions including the Government Social Research guidance on ethical assurance and the Government Science and Engineering universal ethical code. These codes are not mandated, but they are expected to be adhered to as part of internal performance management processes.

Annex 

PSRE organisations

Defra PSRE organisations are listed below, along with a named senior member in charge of research integrity:

• Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Director of Science Operations and Research, Matt Chinn
• Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS), Chief Scientist, Grant Stentiford
• Environment Agency (EA), Deputy Director for Research, Glenn Watts
• Forest Research (FR), Chief Scientist, Chris Quine
• Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Chief Scientist, Dave Stone
• Natural England (NE), Chief Scientist, Sallie Bailey
• Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, Deputy Director of Science, Paul Kersey