White House OSTP Announces New Scientific Integrity Framework

In an effort to strengthen the integrity of scientific policies and practices throughout the U.S. federal government, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) earlier this month released its new “Framework for Federal Scientific Integrity Policy and Practice.” This roadmap draws from extensive input from federal agencies, academia, the scientific community, public interest groups, and industry and builds on the January 2022 report, “Protecting the Integrity of Government Science.”

The key components of the new Framework include:

• A consistent definition of scientific integrity for all federal agencies
• A model scientific integrity policy to guide agencies as they build and update their policies
• A set of tools to help agencies regularly assess and improve their policies and practices
• The requirement that all agencies designate a scientific integrity official
• For agencies that fund, conduct, or oversee research, a chief science officer will be designated
• A National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Subcommittee on Scientific Integrity to oversee implementation of the framework and evaluate agency progress

As the voice of engineering in Washington and as the international leader in engineering standards, ASME applauds efforts like these to strengthen the quality and integrity of research; better support the role of federal scientists; and work together to support evidence-based policymaking to solve the nation’s—and the world’s—greatest challenges.

View the Framework in full here.