The Deanship of Scientific Research at the University of Sudan for Science and Technology (SUST) organized the Conference of Ethics of Scientific Research- Responsible behavior in research from 14-15 February 2023 under the auspices of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in cooperation with the UNESCO Chair for Women, Science and Technology, the Institute of Health Sciences and Scientific Research in the United States of America and the Ethics Program Scientific Research in Jordan (RCR).
The conference attendees included Prof. AbdelQader Mohamed Hassan Nour ElDin, Director of the Department of National and Foreign Education at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, representative of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Prof. Shambol Adlan, Chairman of SUST's Board of Directors, Prof. Eisa Bashier Mohamad, Vice Chancellor of SUST, Prof. Abdel-Azim Suleiman Al-Mahal, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Awadalla Tayfor Ali Ismail, Principal of the university.
The attendees also included Prof. Ayman Badri, Director of the UNESCO Office in Khartoum, Prof. Hammoudi Ahmed Saeed, Director of Qarden City University, Director of Peace University, Representative of Forensic Evidence Administration, Communication Coordinator of the Office of the Director of West Kordofan University, Deans of Scientific Research in various universities, and a number of university colleges deans, directors of departments, a large number of scholars and researchers from inside and outside Sudan.
Prof. Abdel Qader Mohamed Hassan Noureldine, representative of the Minister of Higher Education, confirmed that the foundations of the state and the renaissance of the country depend on scientific research. He added that the conference targets the ethics of scientific research on which the well-established values of society are based and on international agreements and UNESCO agreements, stressing the need to adhere to the ethics of scientific research and work to preserve Trusts in accordance with Sharia and the law.
Prof. Noureldine also valued the role of Sudan University and all the participating parties from inside and outside Sudan for the great efforts and good organization, expressing his happiness with the estimated attendance of young researchers, stressing the dependence on them in building the future of Sudan, always praising SUST for the distinguished scientific initiatives that serve the state, promising that the ministry will support the university with research projects and incubators.
Prof. Shambol Adlan, Chairman of the University Board of Directors, welcomed the attendees and said, "Research is one of the issues of importance to all researchers and represents the value and awareness that serve science which reflects its great and great importance".
Prof. Eisa Bashier Mohamed, vice chancellor of the University, expressed his appreciation for organizing the conference and the participation of a number of countries in the prestigious presence of professors and researchers from inside and outside Sudan.
Prof. Bashier welcomed the representative of the Minister of Higher Education. "The conference will serve scientific research in Sudan through the sharing of experiences which contributes to the development of ethics in scientific research.", he added. He also expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research for its support and sponsorship of the conference, thanking all the supporters of the conference.
Prof. Amal Omar Bakhiet, Dean of Scientific Research at the University, explained that the aim of the conference is to upgrade the capabilities of scientific researchers in Sudan in line with known values and lead to excellence, pointing to the importance of sharing information and research expertise to serve the country.
Furthermore, she stressed the need to recognize the significant decline that has occurred in scientific research because of the common mistakes that necessitate the need to pay attention to the development of legislation and laws that guarantee the monitoring and safety of scientific research.
She also highlighted the objectives of the conference, which were to deepen the concept of responsible scientific research and its role in society, to identify the main principles of global research ethics, related to humans and animals, the need to realize the importance of voluntary participation in scientific research to ensure informed consent, knowledge of misconduct in conducting research and its various reasons, and to clarify the concept of conflict of interest in scientific research.
Prof. Kenneth Goodman from the University of Miami, USA, expressed his happiness for being present at the conference, and emphasized the importance of digital technology, saying that we live in a changing world that obliges us to keep pace with innovation and exploit opportunities to pay attention to scientific research, especially public health research, in order to reduce the spread of diseases in society.
In this regard, Prof. Goodman referred to the USA experience in using digital technology in learning and collecting information, and the interest of scientists and philosophers in the validity and accuracy of information in the field of health and nutrition. He stated that cooperation and sharing of information would lead to the development of science, despite the differences in customs, culture and language.
Prof. Karem Alzoubi, representative of the US Health Administration and director of the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) program in Jordan, added that the conference serves the region and the Arab world because it is directed to researchers for training and capacity building.
Prof. Alzoubi also mentioned that the activities of the conference are held every year and the programs that offer academic degrees at the diploma and master’s levels in scientific research ethics in the medical and biological fields are based on it and are available to all countries of the Arab world, explaining that the program is fully supported and offers grants to interested applicants from young researchers.