Statement—Academy endorsement of statement on Improving the reproducibility of biomedical research by IAP for Health

In September 2016, the Australian Academy of Science endorsed the InterAcademy Partnership for Health (IAP for Health) statement on improving the reproducibility of biomedical research.

There is growing discussion within the biomedical research community about the need to improve the reproducibility of research studies so as to drive scientific progress, accelerate translation into clinical applications, and maximise returns on funding. Many improvements in national and global health are rooted in the findings of biomedical research and it is crucial that research practices are as effective as possible.

The Australian Academy of Science has joined with academies of forty five countries around the world to endorse a statement issued by the IAP for Health on improving the reproducibility of biomedical research.

In signing this statement, IAP for Health member academies recognise that:

• It is critically important for the progress of science that the reproducibility of research is optimal. Where policies to improve national and global health are concerned, they must be based on the best available evidence – the value of research and the efficient use of resources can only be maximised through the most robust science.
• There is no single cause of irreproducibility and a number of measures are required to address it. These measures will rely on multiple actions from many stakeholders.

The full text of the IAP for Health statement on improving the reproducibility of biomedical research, along with the names of national science academies that have endorsed it, is available on the IAP for Health website.

It should be noted that Professor David Vaux FAA, from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, was a member of the working group who put together this statement.

Notes for news editors

The InterAcademy Partnership for Health is a component network of the InterAcademy Partnership. Its membership comprises 78 academies of medicine or academies of science and engineering with medical sections. IAP for Health is committed to improving health world-wide, including through the release of consensus statements on matters of importance to global health. IAP for Health Statements such as this one are prepared by a working group comprising experts nominated by member academies, and are released once they have been endorsed by more than half the member academies of the network.