While the guidelines below cover areas where questions related to compliance may commonly arise, this webpage is not intended to address every conceivable situation related to compliance. Rather, all Institute community members should strive to apply the general principles outlined below to the day-to-day activities carried out in the course of their research, work, studies, or life on campus.
This document is not intended to replace, and may be supplemented by, specific Institute policies that have been adopted in the past or may be adopted in the future, as well as any applicable legislation.
Compliance With Institute Policy, Ethical Standards and Laws
All Institute community members are expected to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and ethics, and to comply – both in letter and in spirit – to our institutional Ethical Code and with any applicable laws or regulations (national, international, or of any other relevant body), and with all applicable Institute policies and procedures.
Academic Integrity and Responsible Conduct of Research
The Institute expects all Institute community members to uphold the Institute's Academic Integrity and Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Policy and Procedures. Community members are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity and display honesty, rigor, and responsible behavior in all activities in general, and in research and academic publishing in particular. They are required to avoid any activities of scientific misconduct, including falsification, fabrication or plagiarism, in proposing, performing or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. They are further required to avoid any other practices that deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the scientific community for proposing, conducting, or reporting research, including (but not limited to): manipulating authorship or denigrating the role of other researchers in publications; re-publishing of previously published results; selective citing; withholding of research results; malicious accusations of research misconduct; misrepresentation of research achievements; ignoring violations or covering up inappropriate responses to misconduct.
If you suspect any violations of the RCR at the Institute, contact the Institute's Vice President directly, who is also the Institute’s Research Integrity Officer (RIO), or contact the Academic Secretary. Results of any related inquiries will be reported to the Institute's President, who is also the Designated Official (DO) for this purpose.
Equality and Non-discrimination
The Institute is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal treatment and opportunity with respect to all its members. Institute community members are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of age, gender, race, nationality, skin color, religion, disability, sexual orientation, political view, marital or parental status, or any other legally protected status.
We comply with relevant laws related to equal rights at the workplace, including student rights in higher education institutions and laws protecting the rights of people with disabilities.
Gender equality and avoidance of gender bias
The Institute is committed to gender equality and the avoidance of gender bias. The Institute has developed a comprehensive gender equality plan that guides its actions and supports the continuous enhancement of equal opportunities for all community members, irrespective of their gender identity.
We aim to foster an environment where gender equality thrives through proactive measures, various programs, and ongoing awareness initiatives.
Prevention of Sexual Harassment
The Institute advocates a fair, safe, and equal work and study environment as a fundamental value that all Institute community members are committed to uphold. Such an environment supports the prevention of harassment on the basis of sex, gender, or sexual orientation and provides a necessary platform for personal growth.
We aim to ensure a comfortable and pleasant work and learning environment, while instilling a respectful organizational culture that is free from sexual harassment. The key to creating a respectful environment free from sexual harassment is to educate, prevent, and censure abusive, degrading, or disrespectful behavior through direct or indirect intervention, and by reporting any instances. All Institute community members have the power, and obligation, to prevent sexual harassment in all forms.
The Law for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment, 1998, was enacted with the purpose to protect an individual’s dignity, freedom, and privacy, and to promote equality between the sexes.
What is considered sexual harassment?
Sexual harassment is any of the following:
- Extortion of a person to perform an act of a sexual nature.
- Performance of an indecent act towards a person meant for sexual arousal or degradation.
- Repeated propositions of a sexual nature addressed to a person who expresses their disinterest in these propositions; in the event of a dynamic of authority or power – even if a lack of interest and/or objection is not expressed.
- Repeated references addressed to a person focusing on their sexuality, when they have expressed their disapproval;
- in the event of a dynamic of authority or power – even if a lack of interest and/or objection is not expressed.
- Degrading or humiliating behavior toward a person in regard to gender or sexuality, including sexual orientation.
- Bad faith publication of a photograph, image, movie, or recording of a person that focuses on their sexuality without their consent to the publication, under circumstances in which such publication might humiliate them.
- Environmental sexual harassment: behavior that creates a work or learning environment that is disrespectful or harms the equality of those present (on the basis of sex or gender), including offensive jokes, comments, etc. – even if the behavior is not directly aimed at any of the participants.
In line with the laws and regulations for the prevention of sexual harassment, the Institute has adopted a Code for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (available in Hebrew and in English). A summary of the Code is available in Hebrew and in English.
The Code specifying the procedures for filing and handling complaints concerning sexual harassment or damaging treatment stemming from sexual harassment. Sexual harassment or complaints about sexual harassment may impact the victim or another person who assisted or testified on that person’s behalf. Prejudicial treatment may be related to work or study issues, such as limiting work-related rights, reducing the scope of a position, limiting professional responsibilities, and creation of social or professional isolation.
Complaints related to sexual harassment or prejudicial treatment should be addressed to Adv. Ilana Eyal (Tel.: 08-934-3886), of the Institute's Legal Office, who has been appointed by the President of the Institute to serve as the Commissioner for Sexual Harassment Complaints.
Any community member who has been harassed or harmed, or who suspects or has heard a rumor regarding a suspected case of sexual harassment or prejudicial treatment related to Institute activities, is encouraged to contact the Commissioner. Those in a managerial position (as defined in the Code for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment) are obliged to report any suspected sexual harassment event to the Commissioner immediately.
Inquiries conducted as a result of a complaint will be made with the utmost protection of the dignity and privacy of those concerned. Conclusions of inquiries conducted by the Commissioner are reported to the Institute's relevant authorities, who are committed to applying appropriate and impartial measures in all cases of sexual harassment.
Sexual harassment and prejudicial treatment may constitute a severe disciplinary offense, criminal offense, or grounds for suing for damages.
Prevention of Harassment
The Institute advocates a proper and respectful environment, in which decisions are made in a matter-of-fact manner and there is no violation of human dignity in its various aspects. Therefore, all forms of workplace harassment (including bullying) are strictly prohibited. Furthermore, the Institute views the misuse of power by managers, mentors, or those who hold a position of influence with extra severity.
What is considered workplace harassment?
Workplace harassment is repeated behavior towards a person which creates a hostile environment, including, but not limited to, one or more of the following behaviors: derogatory, degrading or harmful treatment; violation of the terms of employment or study due to non-professional reasons; disrupting a person's ability to perform their duties, including placing unreasonable demands or creating unreasonable conditions for their performance; subjecting a person to an atmosphere of fear and threats, including shouting, cursing, false accusations or spreading harmful rumors or threatening their future career; attributing a person's work and achievements to another person or wrongfully attributing failures to a person; or causing a person's professional or social isolation at work.
Harassment is considered happening at the workplace if it occurs between co-workers/colleagues at any place and time, either on campus or off, provided that the incident occurred during a workplace related activity. Harassment on digital platforms, such as social media, is considered workplace harassment if it revolves around the Institute’s workplace related activities.
Workplace harassment is a disciplinary matter and will be treated accordingly. For more information for mentors and trainees affiliated with FGS, including students and postdocs, see the FGS regulations on this matter.
Mentorship
The Institute is deeply committed to fostering a culture of mentorship that ensures graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career scientists experience trustworthy, supportive, and appreciative research environments where they can thrive and succeed. Please see RCR.
Safety and Health
The Institute is committed to fostering a safe environment for all its members and visitors. All Institute community members are expected to comply with all pertinent policies, laws and regulations regarding occupational safety and health, and to make every reasonable effort to avoid exposure of other Institute members and visitors to unsafe conditions or health risks.
Biosafety
Research involving recombinant DNA and gene transfer or hazardous biomaterials falls under the purview of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).
Research making use of infectious agents is regulated by the Institutional Committee for Research Using Infectious Agents (ICRUIA).
Safety
The Institute, together with the Ministry of the Environment, has embarked upon an ambitious program to research, improve, innovate, and implement Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) practices and technologies on campus. This is done with the goal of inspiring and educating employees and visitors, and helps distinguish the Institute as an international example for a safe and environmentally sustainable scientific research center.
The Institute’s main safety principles are outlined in the Weizmann Institute Safety Plan.
Human Subjects/Specimens Research
The Institute is committed to providing a rigorous and independent ethical review process for research involving human subjects or specimens, including work with human stem cells, according to the guidelines published by the US National Academy of Sciences.
For more information see the Institute Review Board (IRB).
Institutional Review Board for Education (IRB-Edu)
The Department of Science Teaching conducts research in various fields that involves collection of data from human subjects. These activities include teacher professional development, as well as research on innovative learning environments, the use of digital platforms, and the promotion of personalization.
To ensure all such activities are carried out according to all rules and regulations, the Institute has established an Institutional Review Board for Education (IRB-EDU). The primary goal of the IRB-EDU committee is to set ethical standards in science and mathematics education research, and guarantee their application in the research conducted in these fields.
Animal Research
The Institute is committed to conducting any research that involves animals with the utmost care and respect for their wellbeing. To ensure this, the Institute implements a rigorous and independent ethical review process for research involving animals.
According to Israeli law, institutions that use laboratory animals for research or instructional purposes must establish an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to oversee and evaluate all aspects of the institution's animal care and use program. The Weizmann Institute's IACUC is certified by the Israeli Ministry of Health’s Council for Experimentation on Animals since 1997, and the Institute has current certification by the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) and is fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) since 2007.
Compliance With Grant Requirements and Conditions
Institute community members are expected to be aware of, understand, and strictly comply with the terms and conditions of any grant or contract awarded to fund their research. Questions or concerns regarding any aspect of a grant should be directed to the Research Grants and Projects Office.
Conflicts of Interest
All decisions and actions of Institute community members are to be made for the sole purpose of advancing the best interests of the Institute. A conflict of interest exists when personal interests (direct or indirect) interfere or are inconsistent with the best interests of the Institute, and when an individual is in a position to influence a decision on Institute policy or action from which that individual, or relative (as defined in the relevant Institute regulations) may benefit.
To ensure that no conflicts exist or arise, all community members must disclose any potential conflict of interest immediately. In addition, Academic Staff are required to complete an Annual Disclosure Form.
Intellectual Property and Copyrights
Institute community members are expected to abide by all laws, rules and regulations governing the use of patented ideas, copyrighted or trademarked materials, licenses, and proprietary information. They are expected to honor non-disclosure agreements, properly attribute the ideas and work of others, and refrain from any activity that could constitute infringement of Institute or third-party intellectual property.
For more information, see the Institute’s IP Rules.
A copyright is a type of intellectual property and it confers the exclusive right to perform several kinds of activities, such as copying, distributing, displaying, creating derivative works, and more, with respect to the protected work and to prevent others from doing so. Copyright law provides for the principle, commonly called "fair use", that balances the protection of copyrights with that of users' rights. The use of protected works in the academic setting, which consists primarily of teaching and research, is of the utmost importance.
For more information on the use of copyright material for teaching purposes, see info on Copyright Notice.
Access to Information and Privacy
Individuals with access to any confidential or proprietary information, data, or other materials must comply with any applicable Institute rules and regulations, as well as applicable legislation and agreements pertaining to access, use, protection and disclosure of such items.
The Institute respects the privacy of students, postdoctoral fellows, trainees, staff, candidates, partners, suppliers, users, visitors, research subjects and volunteers, website users, application users, applicants for jobs, studentships and research positions, and others, and is committed to protecting the personal information in accordance with any applicable law.
The Institute has adopted a privacy policy (available in Hebrew and in English).
Financial Transactions
Institute community members who have access to Institute financial sources are expected to conduct and process all financial transactions and reports with integrity, and to ensure that all financial and accounting records, financial reports, effort reports, and all other relevant financial documents, be accurate, clear and complete, and in accordance with relevant Israeli national legislation and international legislation where applicable, and with generally accepted Government auditing standards.
Environment and Sustainability
All Institute community members are expected to comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations.
The Institute has embarked on an applied research program to promote sound environmental practices to improve energy and water use efficiency, environmental standards, and emergency prevention and response in buildings and on campus. Environmental and resource conservation engineering and practices are promoted throughout the campus through an internal awareness and action program.
For more information, visit Sustainability @Weizmann.
Violations of the Regulations and Responsible Reporting
Any Institute community member who believes they have witnessed or experienced a violation of the standards and guidelines described above, or a violation of the Institute’s Code of Ethical Conduct or any other Institute regulations, or any other apparent irregularity, is encouraged to report such violations (whistleblowing) to the Institute Ombudsperson or the Student Ombudsperson.
If requested, the Institute will make every reasonable effort to keep the identity of the reporting individual confidential, unless doing so would impede the Institute’s ability to conduct a full and fair investigation of the allegations. The reporter is assured that there will be no adverse action, retribution, or other reprisal for the good faith reporting of a suspected violation of regulations, even if the allegations ultimately prove to be without merit. That said, the Institute will pursue disciplinary action against any individual who knowingly files a false report with the intention to injure another.
Compliance Training
In addition to courses offered by the Feinberg Graduate School, the Weizmann Institute subscribes to the CITI Program. All Weizmann personnel can register for free on the CITI website to complete and be certified in compliance training modules covering a range of topics, such as Human Subjects Research, Institutional Review Boards (IRB), Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Information Privacy and Security (IPS), Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR), Conflicts of Interest (COI), Laboratory Animal Research (IACUC), and Public Health Research.