QQI to host prestigious European conference on academic ethics and integrity

QQI was delighted to participate in the recent European Conference on Ethics and Integrity in Academia (ECEIA) hosted in the historic University Main Building at Uppsala University. Following three excellent pre-conference workshops, the AGM of the European Academic Integrity Network (ENAI) took place, which included a presentation from the next ECEIA conference host, Ilia State University, Georgia and a successful proposal from QQI to host ECEIA 2027 in Dublin. 

ECEIA25 conference themes focused on: 

• the ethical use of AI and GenAI in education and research;
• policy development supporting academic integrity;
• ethical approaches to publication of research and research security;
• fostering and promoting equity and diversity in academic and research integrity and ethics; and
• the industrialisation of academic misconduct. 

There was significant discussion during the panel discussions and following presentations about the challenges and opportunities of using AI for students, staff and researchers, delegates heard presentations on how to support staff and students through this. 

Dr Tomáš Foltýnek, Assistant Professor, Masaryk University, moderated a panel discussion on ‘Ethics, Integrity and Generative AI on Academia’, which included important considerations around the use of GenAI in assessment design from Dr Guy Curtis, Associate Professor, The University of Western Australia. 

The criticality not just of having a human in the AI loop, but humans that include representatives of minority groups, was emphasised by Dr Lorna Waddington, Associate Professor, University of Leeds. 

Conversations about censorship, international perspectives on the importance of promoting the societal benefit of research and the threats to research and research integrity were prevalent throughout the conference, particularly in the panel discussion on ethical publishing led by Stefan Eriksson, Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in research ethics, Uppsala University. 

There were also discussions on the climate costs of GenAI, reviews of current GenAI guidelines, studies on students’ views of using GenAI and workshops on developing academic integrity policies among many other contributions. 

The three keynote addresses at the conference were: 

Advancing Ethical AI Integration with the AI Assessment Scale (AIAS), Dr Mike Perkins, Associate Professor and Head of the Centre for Research & Innovation at British University Vietnam (BUV)

Challenges to maintaining the integrity of academic publishing, Professor Ana Marušić, University of Split School of Medicine, Croatia

The Landscape of Applied Research Ethics in the MENA Region: Examining Key Players and Influences, Professor Jihad Makhoul, Professor and Chair at the Department of Health Promotion and Community Health and the American University of Beirut.

Laura Flynn, Head of Partnerships, QQI participated in the panel discussion on a holistic view of institutional policies moderated by Dr Irene Glendinning, Independent researcher, describing QQI’s experience in promoting academic integrity with the National Academic Integrity Network and through QQI’s regulatory approach. 

There was strong representation from Irish higher education institutions at the conference including presentations, posters and panel contributions from: 

• Dr Violeta Morari, Munster Technological University;
• Dr Loretta Goff, University College Cork;
• Dr Meredith Plug, Dublin City University and University College Dublin;
• Sue Hackett, Education Consultant;
• Dr Fionn McGrath, University College Limerick; and
• Dr Adrian Byrne, CeADAR Ireland, University College Dublin.

The book of abstracts is now available on the ENAI website at this link: ECEIA 2025 Book of Abstracts

QQI looks forward to ECEIA 2026 in Georgia and to welcoming delegates to Dublin in 2027!