After an interim period of two years, LARI has recently appointed Tom Lindemann as new Secretary-General to reinforce its efforts to create and maintain a research environment that fosters responsible practices and embeds a culture of research integrity at all major public research institutions in Luxembourg. The majority of the actions undertaken during the interim period focused on strengthening the presence of LARI within the Luxembourg research ecosystem. They involved the financial consolidation of the A.S.B.L. and the development of an organizational strategy. A new roadmap with operating procedures includes, among other things, the establishment of monthly meetings with the Commission for Research Integrity (CRI) – an independent body composed of eight (8) renowned international experts who apply a neutral, unbiased and impartial approach to all cases the CRI examines.
On October 2022, the five member institutions of LARI, i.e., the University of Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Institute of Health, the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, the Luxembourg Institute for Socio-Economic Research and the Luxembourg National Research Fund, elected a new Board of Directors composed of three highly qualified individuals appointed intuitu personae for a three-year term of office. Jean-Claude Wiwinius serves as Chair of the Board; Professor Babette Simon acts as Vice Chair of the Board; and Professor John Scheid is a Member of the Board. The Board of Directors, the CRI and the new Secretary General will work hand-in-hand to reinforce Luxembourg’s position as a forerunner in research integrity in Europe and globally.
Jean-Claude Wiwinius, says: « C’est avec un „lachendes und ein weinendes Auge“ que les membres du Conseil d’Administration du LARI abordent la deuxième année de leur mise en place ; « lachendes », vu qu’ils ont réussi à trouver un nouveau secrétaire général en la personne de Tom Lindemann, dont les compétences spécifiques en matière d’intégrité de la recherche sont indéniables ; « weinendes », vu qu’ils perdent un ami, en la personne du secrétaire général ad interim Asaël Rouby, qui, grâce à son empathie, sa disponibilité et ses connaissances leur ont permis de vivre une première année exempte d’embûches dans le milieu scientifique luxembourgeois. »
“I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Board and the CEOs of the five member institutes for their unwavering support. LARI is an agency like no other, built on the strong foundations of integrity, transparency, ethical conduct, and rigorous scientific standards. Our shared values are upheld by the incredible LARI Commission (CRI), now consisting of eight exceptional and globally distinguished members. With their strong backing, I am confident that LARI will continue to make remarkable strides towards our collective goals for the research landscape in Luxembourg” Asaël Rouby, former Secretary General ad interim
Finally, LARI has strengthened its international profile by recruiting an experienced specialist as its new Secretary General. Tom Lindemann has quite extensive expertise in the field of research integrity and ethics. Prior to joining LARI, he worked as team leader in the office of the European Network of Research Ethics Committees (EUREC), where he was involved in several EU-funded projects on research integrity, research ethics and responsible research and innovation.
Tom Lindemann, new LARI Secretary-General, says: „Ich möchte mich beim Board für das mir entgegengebrachte Vertrauen bedanken und freue mich sehr auf die neue berufliche Herausforderung. Bereits in meiner vorherigen Tätigkeit ist mir Luxemburg mehrfach als gutes Beispiel im Bereich Research Integrity begegnet und ich bin zuversichtlich, dass das Land mit tatkräftiger Unterstützung der LARI diese Position auch in Zukunft behalten und weiter ausbauen wird. Mein Vorgänger Asael Rouby und dessen Vorgängerin Katrina Bramstedt haben exzellente Vorarbeit geleistet und viele Entwicklungen angestossen, die ich fortführen und weiterentwickeln möchte. Insbesondere freue ich mich auf die enge Zusammenarbeit mit dem CRI sowie dem LARI-Board und den LARI-Mitgliedsorganisationen. Neben der Stärkung der Research Integrity Governance in Luxemburg sowohl durch präventive als auch investigative Massnahmen, liegt mir die europäische und internationale Vernetzung der LARI besonders am Herzen, um von der Expertise der globalen Research Integrity Community profitieren und LARI eine starke Stimme in dieser verleihen zu können.“
