June 28, 2019
Dear Colleagues,
Through our faculty, The University of Texas at Austin generates vital scholarship, knowledge and ideas that improve the lives of people everywhere. We do this by attracting, welcoming and retaining exceptional scholars and researchers from around the world. UT is a university of the first class because of our exemplary U.S. and foreign-born faculty members, and we support them.
I’m sure you are all aware of the concerns raised during the past months regarding the theft of intellectual property and compromises of scientific integrity at institutions across the country. At UT, we take these concerns seriously and have been working to improve our processes and decrease our risks. But in doing so, we also understand that the strength and benefits of academic research at UT, and at every American university, are based on inquiry, openness and collaboration, as well as ethical conduct.
For generations, academic discovery has transformed our world in part because it has always been based on transparency and the absence of bias in both the peer review process and the way we conduct our research. Many federal research agencies require grant recipients to publish the results of their research and, increasingly, to make data openly available. Every researcher at UT has always been expected to declare their affiliations, commitments and the sources of support they receive.
The university is working to make even more progress and continue fostering an environment defined by the highest ethical standards, especially when it comes to faculty members and researchers avoiding situations where conflicts of commitment and interest may arise. Additionally, we are increasing data protections and training our community to prevent the inadvertent release of data.
Finally, at UT, we recognize that collaboration with other universities is an essential part of our mission. UT faculty members, postdocs and graduate students work with researchers at many of the best universities in the U.S. and around the world and will continue to do so. Just in the past three years, we have increased many of our international collaborations.
The excellence of The University of Texas at Austin depends on faculty members and researchers. It is our responsibility to create a supportive environment in which they can function effectively and to work together with them to continue to build trust through the quality of our research and our commitment to integrity.
Sincerely,
Gregory L. Fenves Maurie McInnis Daniel Jaffe
President Executive Vice-President and Provost Vice President for Research