Wellcome Trust Makes Reporting Harassment Mandatory

The UK-based biomedical research charity says researchers or institutions that fail to report misconduct will risk losing grants.

Written byDiana Kwon

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The Wellcome Trust, a funding organization in the U.K., announced yesterday (May 3) a new policy requiring academics and institutions to report bullying and harassment.

Under the new policy, the Wellcome Trust will be able to withhold funding from researchers who have been found guilty of harassment. It will also require universities to investigate allegations in a timely manner, report misconduct, and have clear policies outlining appropriate behavior. Institutions that fail to do so will face sanctions, such as temporary bans from applying for grants.

“This will help improve research culture as it attacks any power misuse,” Helene Schiffbaenker, a sociologist who studies gender in research and innovation at Joanneum Research, a non-academic research institute in Austria, tells Nature.

The Wellcome Trust defines bullying as ...

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Meet the Author

Diana Kwon
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Diana is a freelance science journalist who covers the life sciences, health, and academic life. She’s a regular contributor to The Scientist and her work has appeared in several other publications, including Scientific American, Knowable, and Quanta. Diana was a former intern at The Scientist and she holds a master’s degree in neuroscience from McGill University. She’s currently based in Berlin, Germany.
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