Fraud, fabricating results, and falsification: research integrity has emerged as a critical issue in science policy in the wake of several high-profile scandals in the research community. Events at international institutions, including climategate and Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, captured significant political and public attention worldwide. This symposium is convened by the European Science Foundation to explore the challenges in establishing a worldwide consensus about research integrity. It will examine how different institutions and governments are working to enhance its delivery, through prevention and teaching, detection of cases, assessment, and eventual sanction. In looking at how to respond when research integrity standards are not respected, this session brings together international viewpoints including first-hand experience of cases from Europe, the United States, and Asia. It will include an overview of educational goals and benchmarks and the difficulties involved in protecting whistleblowers. The symposium represents a unique insight into the next steps after the second World Conference on Research Integrity in Singapore, July 2010.