Informed Consent Form of the survey for the International Symposium on Transformative Ocean Science
This informed consent form is for the respondents of the survey launched as part of the International Symposium on Transformative Ocean Science held in Venice, Italy, on 24-27 March, 2026.
The aim of this survey is to collect views and ideas about challenges and actions to support Transformative Ocean Science for implementing the Ocean Pact. This questionnaire also aims to identify the main knowledge gaps in current ocean science research and observation, and to understand their underlying causes in relation to the challenges associated with implementing the Ocean Pact.
Information Sheet
Introduction I am Dr. Elena Gissi, Senior Scientist at the National Research Council, Institute of Marine Sciences (CNR ISMAR). Within the International Symposium Organizing committee, I am responsible for coordinating and delivering this survey. This form contains important information about the reasons for undertaking this study, what you will be asked to do if you decide to participate, and how information related to you will be used.
Purpose of the research The aim of this survey is to collect views on challenges and actions to support Transformative Ocean Science for implementing the Ocean Pact. This survey also aims to identify the main knowledge gaps in current ocean science and observation, and to understand their underlying causes. The results will be analyzed to support the drafting of a White Paper on Transformative Ocean Science for the Ocean Pact.
Type of Research Intervention. This applied research activity involves your participation in an online survey that will take approximately 50 minutes to fill in.
Participant Selection You are being invited to take part in this questionnaire because of your expertise in ocean sciences across multiple perspectives and research fields.
Voluntary Participation Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. If you decide to take part, you can request that the information you provided not be used in the research study at any time.
Procedures You will be asked to complete an online survey. You will not be asked to share personal beliefs, practices or experiences and you are not required to provide any information you are not comfortable sharing. You may skip any question and proceed to the next one. Responses to the survey are all anonymous. No names will be included in the dataset used for analysis or reporting. Dr. Gissi alone will have access to your survey.
Duration The survey requires approximately 50 minutes to complete.
Recording We may quote anonymized responses in presentations or publications resulting from this work. All data will be processed in such a way that it will not be possible to identify you as the source of a specific statement, unless you explicitly request otherwise.
Risks To the best of our knowledge, participation in this survey involves no risks beyond those encountered in everyday life. You are free to decline to answer any question and may withdraw from the survey at any time without providing a reason. The survey does not refer to any specific geographical area, ecosystem or human community; therefore, no specific environmental or social risks are anticipated. As with all research, there is a minimal risk of a breach of confidentiality. Appropriate technical and organizational measures will be taken to minimize this risk, as detailed below.
Benefits There will be no direct benefit to you from participating. However, your contribution will support reflection on how to strengthen research and education systems for Transformative Ocean Science, with potential societal benefits related to the ocean.
Reimbursements No reimbursements are foreseen for participation in this survey.
Confidentiality and Data Protection All personal data will be handled in accordance with applicable international and national legislation, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Whenever results of this study are published or presented, individual names and other personally identifiable information will not be used, i.e. the data will be anonymized. To minimize the risks of breaching confidentiality, we will collect only personal data that we need for the purposes of the described research project. In particular, we ensure the following:
- Personal data are collected on a need-to-know basis only.
- Participants’ rights to withdraw consent and to erasure of personal data (“right to be forgotten”), as provided under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), are fully guaranteed.
- The merging or cross linking of datasets containing personal data will be avoided in order to prevent any unintended disclosure of personal information.
Data may be made available for reuse by other researchers only if personal data has been anonymized or erased from the dataset. We will ensure that no responses you provide can be traced back to you. All information you provide will be assigned a unique code instead of your name. The correspondence between this code and any identifying information will be known only to Dr. Gissi and will be stored securely. This information will not be shared with or disclosed to any other party. Your personal data will not be shared with third parties, and no information about individual participants or individual responses will be disclosed. Your data will be stored securely for the period required by applicable legislation. Anonymized data may be shared for future research purposes or with other researchers or journal editors. In all such cases, any information that could lead to the identification of participants will be removed prior to data sharing.
Sharing the Results Individual responses will not be shared outside the research team and will not be attributed to any participant by name. Participants receive a summary of the overall results. Findings will be shared more broadly during the Symposium and may be disseminated through publications and conferences as part of the Symposium.
Right to Refuse or Withdraw Participation is voluntary. You may refuse to participate or withdraw from the survey at any time.
Who to Contact
For questions about the questionnaire or research activities: Dr. Elena Gissi - elena.gissi@cnr.it.
For questions about participant rights: Patricia Sclafani - patricia.sclafani@cnr.it.
For questions related to data protection: CNR Data Protection Officer - Dr. Roberto Puccinelli - rpd@cnr.it or dpo@cnr.it; PEC: rpd@pec.cnr.it.
Statement by the participant voluntarily taking part to this research I have read the foregoing information. I have had the opportunity to ask questions about it and any questions I have been asked have been answered to my satisfaction. By checking the box below, I am voluntarily agreeing to participate in this research study.