Creating a culture of integrity is the ultimate solution to combating academic misconduct which poses a threat not only to the higher education system but also erodes trust in public institutions and, ultimately, democracy itself.

On October 5, the Council of Europe and Erasmus University Rotterdam held a joint conference on promoting academic integrity. The conference was opened by the Rector Magnificus of the Erasmus University Rotterdam Prof. Annelien Bredenoord and the Head of the Council of Europe Education Department Villano Qiriazi who both underlined the importance of integrity and ethics in achieving quality education for all.

Following the opening remarks, the participants were introduced to Council of Europe’s recent Recommendation on combating fraud in education. Structured in four dimensions: prevention, prosecution, international cooperation, and monitoring, the recommendation addresses the need for a common European approach.

A demonstration of the Dilemma Game App on research integrity as well as several key-note speeches for example on connecting mental health and research integrity, trust and open science, and alternative assessment methods allowed the participants to discuss and connect institutional frameworks with practical tools to foster academic integrity in our rapidly changing environments.

The conference concluded by a presentation of Compendium of Best Practices identified through the project’s first call. The compendium aims to encourage and inspire all European higher education institutions to work towards building cultures of academic integrity through improving teaching and learning, ensuring viable and relevant policies for guiding integrity behaviours, enhancing communications about academic integrity, and training community members in choosing integrity over misconduct.