About us

Persi-Share Institute of Responsible Research and Open Science (PIROS): the first institute for responsible health research and open science in the Middle East, a knowledge-based private institute.

PIROS works to make health and biomedical research in Iran and the region more rigorous, transparent, reproducible and responsive to the needs of patients and the public. This website is home to the institute's courses, workshops, protocol and data registry, and citizen science projects.

Vision

To become the leading hub in the Middle East for transforming biomedical and health research into trustworthy, ethically grounded and translationally impactful science, fostering a culture of transparency, inclusivity and reproducibility across the research ecosystem.

Mission

To enhance the value, credibility and societal impact of health and biomedical research in Iran and beyond by ensuring that it is rigorous, open, reproducible, ethically conducted and responsive to patient and public needs. The Institute seeks to drive a culture shift toward responsible and open science through meta-research, capacity building, stakeholder engagement, citizen science, incentive reform and policy dialogue.

Strategic goal

Within two years, to establish a recognized regional institute that demonstrably improves research quality, transparency, reproducibility and societal relevance in health and biomedical research through targeted training programs, advisory services and systemic incentive reforms.

Historical background

The initiative originated with Prof. Dr. Ulrich Dirnagl in 2017 through the establishment of the QUEST Center for Responsible Research at the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) – Charité. In 2021, Dr. Juliet Roudini joined the centre as a postdoctoral researcher, focusing on Patient and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE). This project laid the foundation for the ongoing academic collaboration between Prof. Dr. Dirnagl and Prof. Dr. Hamidreza Khankeh in advancing responsible research and open science practices.

Building on this partnership, in 2024 Prof. Dr. Khankeh launched his own DFG-supported project, hosted by Prof. Dirnagl at BIH–Charité, to further promote openness, transparency and methodological rigor in biomedical research. The ongoing project, Stroke Patient and Stakeholder Engagement (SPSE), has generated significant insights into the development of responsible qualitative research methodologies within the biomedical sciences. Prof. Dr. Khankeh delivered two keynote lectures at the Iranian Academy of Medical Sciences in 2024 and 2025 on responsible research, open science and patient and stakeholder engagement, and invited Prof. Dr. Dirnagl to lecture at the Academy, introducing these concepts to the Iranian scientific community.

As the nation's highest scientific institution in medicine, the Iranian Academy of Medical Sciences plays a pivotal role in advancing medical research, scientific independence and innovation. Supported by a network of leading scholars, Prof. Dr. Khankeh and his team, under the scientific leadership of Prof. Dr. Ulrich Dirnagl, with the support of Prof. Dr. Arash Rashidian and the guidance of the Scientific Advisory Board, are leading efforts to establish the first Institute for Responsible Health Research and Open Science in the region, to foster research integrity, methodological excellence and international collaboration.

Key milestones

  1. 2024–2025 — Internal preparatory meetings

    Multiple internal meetings to design the structure, objectives and roadmap of the Institute for Open and Responsible Science, the first of its kind in Iran.

  2. May 2025 — Interview with Prof. Dr. Ulrich Dirnagl

    An in-depth interview on the practical implementation of responsible research frameworks in biomedical contexts.

  3. September 2025 — Consultation with Prof. Dr. Rashidian

    A virtual consultation with Prof. Dr. Rashidian of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Office on opportunities for regional integration of responsible health research initiatives.

  4. September 2025 — Formal registration

    The Institute was formally registered.

  5. First National Workshop on Scientific Protocol Development

    A national workshop with 45 participants on developing research protocols aligned with the principles of responsible and open research.

Core objectives

Responsible research practices

Identify and address methodological, reporting and translational gaps in health and biomedical research within Iran and the broader region.

Training and education

Modular training programs on qualitative and quantitative research design, meta-research, trustworthiness, quality improvement, open science, Patient and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE/PPI) and citizen science.

Quality assurance and incentives

Integrate responsible-research indicators and practices into grant evaluation, academic promotion and institutional assessment.

Open science and reproducibility tools

Establish platforms and infrastructure for open access publishing, data sharing, preregistration and reproducibility.

Patient and public engagement

Provide funding and guidance for research that involves patients, caregivers and citizens as partners throughout the research cycle.

Policy advocacy and partnerships

Collaborate with national and international institutions to embed responsible research principles into science policy, funding frameworks and institutional governance.

Organizational structure

The Institute operates under a dual-tier governance model:

Executive Committee (EC)

The decision-making and operational body responsible for day-to-day management and implementation of strategic goals.

Scientific Advisory Board (SAB)

A high-level international body providing independent strategic guidance, evaluation and visibility.

Members and their biographies are on the "Team" page.

Two-year roadmap

  1. Months 1–3

    Form the advisory board, develop the website and begin strategic planning.

  2. Months 4–6

    Register the institute, launch digital infrastructure and begin designing training programs.

  3. Months 7–9

    Deploy the first training modules; collaborate with research institutions on protocol development and data sharing.

  4. Months 10–12

    Organize the first national symposium on responsible health research practices.

  5. Months 13–15

    Implement open science tools; develop a repository for study protocols and research data; advisory support for pilot projects.

  6. Months 16–18

    Hold the first national Patient and Public Stakeholder workshop; monitor institutional incentive reforms.

  7. Months 19–21

    Assess training outcomes, publish a best-practice guide and present a regional model for scale-up.

  8. Months 22–24

    Convene a regional summit.

Three-term educational program

Alongside the roadmap, a structured three-term program (starting February 2026) for students and early-career researchers covers:

  • Term 1 — Foundations of open and responsible research: theory, ethics and reproducibility.
  • Term 2 — Applied research practices: protocol design, data transparency and citizen engagement.
  • Term 3 — Translation and impact: meta-research, implementation and policy communication.

Each term combines interactive workshops, mentoring and project-based learning to foster a new generation of transparent and socially responsive researchers.

Targets by month 24

  • Governance: the SAB and EC are established and operational.
  • Training: at least 6 modules delivered and at least 300 participants trained.
  • Research quality: at least one pilot responsible research project completed.
  • Open science: repository and data-sharing tools online.
  • Policy integration: responsible research metrics adopted in 2 institutions.
  • Regional visibility: the first Middle East Responsible Research Summit held.

Contact

PIROS.institute@gmail.com

Team The members of the PIROS Executive Committee and Scientific Advisory Board, with their biographies. View