On 16 January 2026, platform art ≈ research, the Willem de Kooning Academy and the Scientific Integrity Committee for the KUO organized a joint working day on the theme of ethics. We met at HKU to work together on the poster/zine about ethical issues and to reflect on the new NGWI code. There were about twenty participants, consisting of PhD-candidates and researchers, committee members of the CWI and research support staff.

In the morning program, Miriam Rasch and Florian Cramer took us through their third and final workshop on ethical issues in artistic research.

Last year, platform art ≈ research published an open call among our members on the theme of ethics. In response, Miriam Rasch, Florian Cramer and Harma Staal from the Willem de Kooning Academy organized a three-part workshop on ethical issues in artistic art education and -research in 2025/2026. In the first workshop (spring 2025), we discussed (un)ethical attitudes and behaviors. The second workshop (autumn 2025) focused on (un)ethical topics.

In this third workshop, we examined the results of the first two workshops. In preparation, Florian and Miriam had summarized these results in a draft to be used as a starting point for a poster, that can be folded into a zine. In groups, we reflected on this edit in terms of wording, topics and recommendations. Topics such as working with others, ambiguity, failure, cultural appropriation and activism were discussed. We also reflected on the rapid developments within ethics as a theme: it may well be that our conclusions will be outdated in a few years’ time, which underlines the importance of an ongoing dialogue.

In the afternoon, the KUO-CWI (the complaints committee for the seven mono-sectoral art academies) worked with participants on the code of conduct for integrity. Following the 2018 code of conduct, a new code of conduct will be introduced in the spring of 2026. This code of conduct is endorsed and will be implemented by all art academies. The KUO is responding to the current draft, partly through this meeting. How does the code relate to art research and art education? How will it be implemented?

In groups, we discussed the code itself, but also who had encountered it before and in what way and situations where the code applies to our (daily) work. We then zoomed in on the five principles highlighted in the code (fair, careful, transparent, responsible) and what issues arose for us when we linked these principles to the realities and challenges of artistic research.

For example, how are these principles implemented in consortia and collaborations with external partners – what if they do not endorse this code, or endorse it to a lesser extent? How do we jointly determine what is complied with and how can we make the code tangible and relevant in the heat of the moment?

The minutes of the meeting will be compiled and submitted by the KUO-CWI to the NGWI, so that the feedback can be incorporated into the final version. The poster/zine of the Willem de Kooning Academy is expected to be published in the spring of 2026.