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This article provides an overview of the key issues pertaining to international research and multicentre studies, with particular emphasis to international biomedical research in the developing world. The article begins with a brief explanation of the regulations governing international biomedical research and an exposition of the debate surrounding the standards of care that should be provided by research conducted in the developing and developed countries. The article describes the issues involved in the participation of vulnerable groups in research, with specific reference to developing countries. Eventually, the article considers matters related to emergency and post-trial care, exploitation, reward and undue inducement, voluntariness and benefits to local communities.

There are many difficulties in measuring the impact of design on the development of nations, which in turn undermines the value of design as a tool for national competitiveness. This study aims to contribute to the gathering of data which can guide the development of the national design sector and design promotion programs. For this purpose, isolated data is not sufficient. Instead, accurate, clear and objective data is required to enable analyses and comparisons with other references in order to draw conclusions and direct actions. This research builds on the International Design Scoreboard (2009), which is characterised by the use of indicators that quantify the design capacity of nations, through data that is comparable in both absolute and relative terms. This methodology utilises a number of metrics that allowed the rearchers to develop an overview of the scenario of design in three Latin American countries -- Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay -- in comparison with other countries around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to describe the status of whistleblowing channels in academic institutions as well as the perception that academics have towards the act of reporting unethical issues. Due to European legislation, organizations are obliged to provide reporting mechanisms. Our results show that a large number of individuals within the academic context suffer unethical issues. These results may trigger the possibility that academic institutions have been failing (i) to provide robust mechanisms to identify and investigate unethical behaviors in academia and (ii) to disseminate/discuss the act of reporting within students and staff. Taking into consideration the results and the reality that exists in academic institutions where demanding workload and stress promote environments where retaliations are expected, the authors discuss needs that institutions need to reflect on regarding compliance, integrity and ethics as well as forensic evidence that can be used in investigations in order to provide a safe space to report unethical issues that are observed or experienced.