Up to £25,000 to be won for tech ideas that support trust in science

LONDON, Aug. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital Science is seeking innovative, technology-driven ideas to safeguard research integrity and support trust in science, as the focus of its Catalyst Grant round for 2024.

Up to £25,000 will be awarded to individuals or startups for innovative technology ideas.

Launched with the campaign We Believe in… Research Integrity, this year’s Catalyst Grant round is driven by a need to address one of the most pressing issues faced by all research stakeholders, which impacts on the community’s trust in science.

The application deadline is 12:00pm BST / 7:00am EDT, Monday 14 October 2024.

Join the conversation on social media with: #CatalystGrant #ResearchIntegrity

Steve Scott, Director of Portfolio Development at Digital Science, says: “Now in its 14th year, the Digital Science Catalyst Grant supports innovation, cultivating early-stage software ideas and enabling them to come to fruition.

“This year’s focus on Research Integrity recognizes the very real issues facing researchers, academic institutions, publishers, governments, and funding bodies, and the need for improved public trust in research and its benefits for society.

“Our 2024 Catalyst Grant round is now looking for the best and most innovative uses of technology to support Research Integrity and Trust in Science,” he says.

Dr Leslie McIntosh, VP of Research Integrity at Digital Science, co-founded the company Ripeta, which was a 2017 winner of Catalyst Grant. Today, Ripeta’s ‘trust markers’ technology underpins Digital Science’s products Dimensions Research Integrity and Dimensions Research Security.

Dr McIntosh says: “Trust in research is the bedrock of healthy societies, and research integrity is a critical challenge in today's research ecosystem. Safeguarding this integrity is the responsibility of everyone involved in research – policymakers, corporations, publishers, institutions, and researchers alike. While we face philosophical issues in society, we urgently need tangible solutions. We must strengthen and reimagine research integrity to uphold trust in the face of recent changes in open science and technological advances.

“As a past winner of the Catalyst Grant, I’m excited the grant might unearth another outstanding technology that will help safeguard the integrity of the scholarly record,” she says.

About Catalyst Grant

The Digital Science Catalyst Grant is an international initiative to support innovation in new software tools and technologies to advance research and create meaningful change.

The program supports and invests in early-stage ideas in the novel use of technology, with an award of up to £25,000 for the most promising ideas that aid research and further its impact on society.

Now in its 14th year, the Catalyst Grant will be awarded to innovative individuals or startups, without the need for a complete business or development plan. Several previous Catalyst Grant winners have developed important products and solutions within Digital Science itself.

Research Integrity – background

Public trust in scientific research has taken a downturn, accelerated by the pandemic. The UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) reports a 71% increase in formal requests regarding integrity issues since 2007 (including plagiarism, falsification, research ethics, publication ethics and authorship, financial mismanagement, and conflicts of interest), with a third from the health and biomedical sector. Yet, many people and small companies are innovating and implementing solutions to improve research.

Research Integrity – the Catalyst Grant Focus

For Catalyst Grant 2024, Digital Science is looking for novel applications of technology to support research integrity and security in areas such as:

Accountability and Transparency: Enhanced mechanisms for monitoring funded research, ensuring accountability and transparency in the use of public funds.
Ethical Standards: Improved frameworks and tools for maintaining high ethical standards, preventing misconduct (such as plagiarism, data fabrication, and falsification), and preventing or identifying scientific disinformation.
Efficiency and Productivity: Streamlined processes and tools for ensuring research integrity and security, leading to more efficient and productive research environments.
Global Collaboration: Harmonized standards and practices facilitating international research collaborations, driving global scientific progress.

Apply for the Digital Science Catalyst Grant

The Digital Science Catalyst Grant is now open for entries. Key details:

Visit the Digital Science Catalyst Grant website for full eligibility criteria and how to apply
Open globally to individuals and startups with early-stage software ideas
Focus on technologies that safeguard Research Integrity and build Trust in Science
Questions about the Catalyst Grant to be directed to: catalyst@digital-science.com
Deadline: 12pm BST / 7am EDT, Monday 14 October 2024.

Find out more about Catalyst Grant.

About Digital Science

Digital Science is an AI-focused technology company providing innovative solutions to complex challenges faced by researchers, universities, funders, industry and publishers. We work in partnership to advance global research for the benefit of society. Through our brands – Altmetric, Dimensions, Figshare, ReadCube, Symplectic, IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, Overleaf, Writefull, OntoChem, Scismic and metaphacts – we believe when we solve problems together, we drive progress for all. Visit www.digital-science.com and follow @digitalsci on X or on LinkedIn.

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