French business school applying economic analysis and policy expertise to research integrity, misconduct impact, and responsible innovation governance.
INSEEC is a French grande école (business school) that applies economic analysis and policy expertise to questions of research governance and integrity. Their H2020 work focuses on measuring the financial and institutional costs of research misconduct, and on developing practical frameworks for promoting integrity in how research results are used. They bring a business-economics lens to a domain — research ethics — that is usually treated as purely normative or philosophical. Their practical value is translating abstract ethical principles into measurable impacts and actionable policy recommendations.
INSEEC coordinated DEFORM (2016–2018), which specifically set out to define and quantify the global and financial impact of research misconduct — a rare economic angle on a governance problem.
As a participant in PRO-RES (2018–2021), INSEEC contributed to developing frameworks for promoting integrity in the use of research results across the European research ecosystem.
PRO-RES project keywords include 'ethics of innovation' and 'Responsible Research and Innovation', placing INSEEC within the EU's broader RRI policy agenda.
PRO-RES lists 'policy advise' and 'impact assessment' as core keywords, consistent with INSEEC's role in translating research integrity findings into policy-relevant outputs.
In their first H2020 project (DEFORM, 2016–2018), INSEEC focused on diagnosing the problem — mapping and quantifying what research misconduct actually costs institutions, funders, and society financially. By their second project (PRO-RES, 2018–2021), the focus had shifted from measurement to remedy: developing ethical frameworks, integrity standards, and policy guidance for how research results should be used responsibly. This is a coherent evolution from problem quantification to solution design, suggesting they are building a cumulative body of expertise in research governance rather than jumping between unrelated topics.
INSEEC is moving from measuring the costs of research misconduct toward shaping the governance frameworks meant to prevent it — positioning them increasingly as a policy advisory actor in European research integrity.
INSEEC has taken both a leadership role (coordinating DEFORM) and a partnership role (participating in PRO-RES), which suggests flexibility rather than a fixed position in consortia. With 14 unique partners across 9 countries from just 2 projects, they engage in medium-sized, internationally diverse consortia — typical for Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs), which focus on policy coordination rather than technical research. There is no evidence of repeat partnerships, suggesting they build project-specific networks based on thematic needs.
From just 2 projects, INSEEC has engaged with 14 distinct consortium partners spread across 9 countries — a broad European footprint relative to the size of their portfolio. This reflects the policy-coordination nature of their work, which inherently requires multi-country participation to produce generalizable recommendations.
INSEEC occupies an unusual niche: a business school with demonstrated EU project expertise in research integrity and ethics — a combination rarely found in purely technical research institutions or purely ethics-focused NGOs. Their economic background allows them to frame research misconduct not just as a moral failure but as a measurable financial and institutional risk, which resonates with funders, compliance officers, and research managers. For consortium builders working on research governance, science policy, or RRI topics, INSEEC offers a policy-economics perspective that complements the legal, philosophical, or sociological expertise more common in this space.
