<h1>Publisher forms national Research Advisory Council to guide research integrity, open science, equity, access, and capacity building</h1> A global academic publisher has established a national Research Advisory Council to advise on research culture, integrity, open science, equitable access and societal impact, meeting annually with representatives from government agencies, universities, corporate R&D, scholarly societies, librarians and early-career researchers. The council's role is advisory and intended to inform publisher initiatives and national research priorities, including capacity building, misconduct prevention, open-access transition and data-sharing practices. Legal considerations include potential conflicts of interest from public-private engagement, the non-binding nature of advice versus policy influence, data protection and IP implications of open-access and data-sharing proposals, and the need for transparent governance, accountability and safeguards for equitable access.