knowledge for what society? GUNI- Global Univers i ty Network for Innovat ion – www.guni- rmies.net Scientific Integrity: Maintaining the Legitimacy of the Research

Worldwide, most scientific research is conducted in higher education institutions. Funding for science is dependent on the ability of these institutions to support and maintain the legitimacy of the scientific enterprise. As long as the public sees scientific research as beneficial to the common good, support will be forthcoming from government and other sources. In other words, the financial underpinnings of science are derived from public perceptions that scientists act in the public interest. The fundamental social contract between the public and science is derived from the very nature of scientific knowledge, specifically, that it is the province of scientific experts and beyond the understanding of most non-scientists. The public therefore is called upon to trust the work of scientists in several ways: that scientists choose important problems to work on, that they carry out their work according to accepted and appropriate means, that they used financial resources responsibly, that they present their findings fully and without deceit, and that their work genuinely improves the lives of others. Without the means or expertise to monitor or verify tha