As a research-orientated and research-promoting service structure, MSH's science management comprises the Research Management department, which supports MSH scientists in planning and carrying out their research activities and thus ensures professional framework conditions for successful research. The unit is divided into the areas of research infrastructure management, research and innovation funding and third-party funding management.
- Research infrastructure management includes resource management, which deals with the optimal distribution and utilisation of laboratory equipment, information technology and research databases.
- The Research and Innovation Funding functional unit provides information on current calls for proposals and funding opportunities, advises on suitable funding bodies and programmes, conducts workshops on funding opportunities and is responsible for science marketing, innovation communication and technology transfer.
- Third-party funding management consists of a coordination unit and an administrative support unit and is responsible for all planning, calculation, invoicing and controlling processes relevant to third-party funding, from the application to the final invoicing of completed third-party funded projects. Personnel resource management for externally funded projects is also located here. Contract and Patent Management, a sub-unit of External Funding Management, is responsible for advising on the legal handling of externally funded projects, for reviewing, drawing up and negotiating contracts and, among other things, for the commercial exploitation of research and development results (patents).
The Academic Senate set up the Committee for Research and Knowledge Transfer (AFW) as an advisory committee on research matters, which is made up of representatives of (junior) professors and academic staff from all faculties. The AFW advises the Academic Senate and the Rectorate on all matters relating to the promotion and development of the university's research profile and on strategic issues relating to the promotion and development of junior researchers, in particular the awarding of internal funding programmes and prizes.
The Rectorate has appointed a Scientific Advisory Board as a central body for the accompanying evaluation and further development of research at MSH, its structural requirements and research successes. The Scientific Advisory Board consists of national and international, external members of the scientific community who represent the interdisciplinary breadth at MSH and who have no direct connection to the university. It has an advisory function, evaluates regularly, provides constructive criticism of the existing structures and plans and makes recommendations on orientation, prioritisation, structural adjustments and the success-oriented use of research funds.
Integrity and truthfulness are fundamental ethical principles in research. In order to fulfil these principles, the university demands high ethical standards in research. To this end, the university provides the necessary resources and creates an environment in which it is possible to work with integrity and conduct ethical research. Compliance with the principles of sound and ethical scientific research should be ensured at all times.
To ensure this, the university has set up an internal ethics committee, which can be commissioned to assess research projects. According to the regulations of the internal ethics committee, it examines and assesses the ethical and legal admissibility of psychological, psychotherapeutic, sports psychological, pedagogical, therapeutic/art therapeutic, developmental, educational and social science as well as health and legal psychological research projects/studies of all departments and institutes before they are carried out. The committee refers to research projects/studies that could compromise the mental or physical integrity or other rights of test subjects. It assesses whether appropriate precautions have been taken, whether the risk-benefit ratio is appropriate and whether all legal provisions - in particular data protection regulations - are complied with.
Depending on the research project - as is the case with medical-clinical studies - ethics applications must also be submitted to the relevant external ethics committees.
While respecting the freedom of science and research (Art. 5 para. 3 GG) and taking into account the recommendations in the memorandum ‘Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice’ of the German Research Foundation (DFG) in the version dated 3 July 2013 and the DFG's Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice from September 2019, MSH has adopted guidelines for good scientific practice. The MSH Guidelines for Good Scientific Practice have been reviewed and approved by the DFG (December 2021).
In fulfilling its responsibility in research, the university must protect itself against scientific misconduct and take appropriate preventative measures. For this reason, every concrete suspicion of scientific misconduct is investigated at the university. Should the suspicion of misconduct be confirmed after clarification of the facts, measures appropriate to the individual case will be taken within the scope of legal possibilities.
Academics at MSH have the option of contacting the Academic Ombudsperson, who acts as a neutral, independent person of trust to advise on academic misconduct.