Personal Responsibility, Accountability and Liability

This section aims to inform university members, who engage in international teaching or research activities, about their responsabilities, accountability and liability, as well as the university's support mechanisms. This section also provides information on the prevention of sexualised violence and discrimination at the University of Göttingen.

Researchers bear a special responsibility for the lawful and secure conduct of international collaborations. They must adhere to the export control regulations (website only available in German), the EU sanctions list and data protection laws (website only available in German), as well as, if applicable, the Nagoya protocol (which is an additional protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity). This particularly applies to items listed under dual-use categories or subject to sanctions-related prohibitions on provision. Whether and what measures are required (e.g., access restrictions, authorization, coordination with the BAFA (Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control), etc.) must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Violations of relevant regulations (e.g. export control/sanctions law, data protection law, Nagoya compliance, etc.) can lead to consequences relating to service-/employment law, administrative offense law, and criminal law, depending on the individual case. The University of Göttingen, as a foundation university, and its departments provide support through consultation and procedural guidance: you can for instance, contact exportkontrolle@uni-goettingen.de or datenschutz@uni-goettingen.de. However, researchers remain primarily responsible for ensuring compliance on a case-by-case basis. Since violations can result in severe penalties, we urge all researchers to observe university procedures and processes, and recomment the involvement of the responsible administrative department at an early stage.

The German Research Association (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) also stresses personal accountability. For example, a joint scientific commission appointed by the DFG and Leopoldina has published recommendations for research security in international cooperation, because "in almost all scientific disciplines, research findings that offer significant opportunities also have the potential to be misused". In line with the DFG's Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice, the recommendations emphasise "the ethical responsibility of individual researchers who can and must use their knowledge and experience to make personal decisions about justifiable courses of conduct, and their limits".

The University has established binding guidelines for a harassment- and discrimination-free teaching, learning, research and working culture with a Guideline on the Prevention of and Protection against Sexualised Harassment and Violence at the University of Göttingen including the University Medical Center Göttingen and a guideline for the prevention of and protection against discrimination of the University of Göttingen (document available in German only). University members, affiliates and guests face sanctions if they discriminate against and disadvantage international students and/or colleagues or if they engage in sexual harassment and violence. In its diversity agenda “Shaping Change through Diversity and Inclusion”, the DAAD pledges to support Higher Education Institutions as places of non-discrimination.

University members and staff who collaborate internationally for teaching or research purposes must comply with ethical principles , regulations relating to good research practice and the applicable laws of both partner countries.

In the context of work-related activities abroad, the University's duty of care as an employer and the duty of care of University members in leadership positions towards their employees applies to all persons in an employment, training, or service relationship with the University of Göttingen (e.g., relating to social security, accident insurance, travel medical advice, emergency management). More information is available here (document available in German only).