VERITAS: deVEloping scientific Research with ethIcs and inTegrity for shAred benefitS

Different "machines of trust" in science have been identified in the literature: research ethics, research integrity, science communication, benefit sharing and technology assessment. Previous EU funded projects have focused on particular actors of the trust in science ecosystem (e.g. scientists, research funding organisations, research ethics committees) to explore the impact of particular "machines" (e.g. science communication, research ethics). VERITAS goes beyond the state of the art by conceptualising "stewards of trust" as the actors of the ecosystem that are responsible for upholding societal trust in science and facilitating science-society co-creation, either this refers to formally responsible organisations like research funding organisations and higher education institutions, or it refers to de facto responsible organisations like social media companies and video streaming platforms which influence societal perceptions of science and innovation. VERITAS combines multidisciplinary expertise, both from the social sciences and engineering, to synthesise existing knowledge to evaluate tools and methods for enhancing trust in science through original research and small-scale participatory activities, before producing the VERITAS Protocol of Recommendations for "stewards of trust". VERITAS brings forward interdisciplinary expertise to perform network analysis and execute interventions on social media, to validate the VERITAS Protocol and alleviate practical barriers for its uptake in practice by different stakeholders. VERITAS findings will be widely disseminated to different "stewards of trust", such as policymakers, research funding and performing organisations, higher education institutions and other research and innovation actors, to enhance societal trust in science and facilitate science-society co-creation.