Human Research Ethics 2009

Melbourne Research Office

Melbourne Research Office

Profile of Services

Melbourne Research

Welcome to the Melbourne Research OfficeThe Melbourne Research Office plays a vital role in supporting the University’s research agenda. Under the academic leadership of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) we provide high level administrative and strategic research support services to our University clients across a broad range of areas. We pride ourselves on our strong partnerships with academic and administrative staff in faculties and departments, and strive to ensure that the support we provide is delivered in the most professional, efficient and effective manner.

This brochure describes the support services provided by the Melbourne Research Office, details of key contacts, and links to important information resources. Some of our key goals for the coming 12 months include:

• supporting the expansion and diversification of external funding for research from both national and international sources;

• analysis of key research performance parameters to support executive leadership, strategic planning and quality assurance;

• continuing to promote the highest ethical standards and compliance with codes of research practice;

• coordination of the University’s submission to the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative;

• development and implementation of research policy; and

• development and implementation of training programs for academic and professional staff.

The Melbourne Research Office has a very strong client focus and a culture that drives the provision of high quality research services, nurtures strong relationships with both academic and administrative staff, and ensures that research activities are administered in a fashion that optimises outcomes for the University, while at the same time minimising risk. This is achieved through the dedication of a workforce that is committed to achieving our aim of supporting the University of Melbourne to become one of the finest universities in the world.

I encourage you to engage with our staff and make maximum use of the services they provide.

Dr David Cookson Executive Director, Research

1 The Melbourne

Research OfficeThe Melbourne Research Office and the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) are the core elements of the business unit known as Melbourne Research. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), who provides academic leadership to Melbourne Research, works closely with the Vice-Chancellor, Officers of the Academic Board, Deans and Associate Deans (Research) to address strategic matters related to the University’s research performance, research investment and research priorities.

The Executive Director, Research heads the Melbourne Research Office and is responsible for the delivery of the University’s centralised research support services.

The Executive Director, Research works closely with the Faculty Research Managers and other research administrators to ensure that faculties have input to the development of administrative policies, practices and systems that are put in place to support the University’s $800M research business.

The Melbourne Research Office manages several thousand ‘transactions’ each year, primarily in the areas of research grants and contracts, and research ethics. The transactional activities, the vast majority of which relate to the Office’s compliance role, range from the submission of applications and progress reports for major grant schemes to the inspection of animal houses, and the certification of laboratories undertaking research using genetically modified organisms.

The Melbourne Research Office provides research services in the following core areas:

• Research Grants and Contracts• Research Development and

Collaboration• Research Ethics and Integrity• Research Performance Reporting

and Analysis• Research SystemsDetailed information on each of these functions is provided in the following sections.

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2 Research Grants and

ContractsFrom 2010 onwards the Research Grants and Contracts Group will be made up of three teams, aligned to specific faculties, or groups of faculties, as follows:

Engineering and Applied Sciences• Faculty of Architecture, Building and

Planning• Melbourne School of Engineering• Melbourne School of Land and

Environment• Faculty of Veterinary Science

Science, Humanities and Social Sciences• Faculty of Arts• Faculty of Business and Economics• Melbourne Graduate School of

Education• Melbourne Law School• Faculty of Science• Faculty of the VCA and Music

Biomedical Research and Public Health• Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and

Health Sciences

Senior staff within the Research Grants and Contracts Group will also act as the principal points of contact with the major funding bodies such as the Australian Research Council (ARC), the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), and a variety of primary industry research and development corporations and semi-government funding agencies.

The Research Grants and Contracts Group plays a critical role in assisting researchers identify, apply for, accept, and conduct research under the auspices of a number national and international competitive grant schemes. It also assists academic staff undertaking contract or collaborative research with external organisations through the processes around the review, negotiation and execution of research agreements. For complex agreements, this task is undertaken in collaboration and consultation with the University’s Legal Services Office.

Pictured below Grants Officers in the Biomedical Research and Public Health team, Lisa Batten and Monique O’Callaghan.

The Research Grants and Contracts Group provides administrative support through:

Promotion of grant opportunities• Fortnightly Research and Grants

Bulletin• Subscription to funding databases

eg. SPIN, COS, Research Research• Developing web pages for major

ARC and NHMRC schemes• Holding seminars on major ARC and

NHMRC grant rounds• Facilitating presentations by outside

granting bodies• Targeted awareness-raising of

funding opportunities to key client groups

Assistance in the preparation and submission of grant applications• Providing advice on success rates• Providing advice on University

submission procedures• Managing the submission of grant

applications from affiliated research institutes

• Assisting in the preparation of budgets

• Reviewing applications against sponsor guidelines

• Arranging submission to sponsors

Contracts administration (pre-award)• Advising researchers on the

opportunities, responsibilities, risks and benefits associated with collaborative initiatives and research-related contracts

• Assisting researchers with the costing and pricing of research contracts

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• Advising researchers on matters related to IP management

• Arranging formal acceptance of the grant by the University

• Liaison with Legal Services when formal legal review of agreements is required

Post-award grants and contracts administration• Liaison and, as relevant, negotiation

with sponsors and partners, on the finalisation of the research agreements

• Liaising with departments, Human Resources, Financial Operations and Melbourne Scholarships Office

• Whole of life-cycle grants management including, progress and final reports, variations and staff transfers

• Variations to legal agreements governing grants and contracts

• Liaising with sponsors regarding project reporting (grants only)

Relationship management• Proactive communication with

researchers, sponsors, industry partners and research collaborators

Management of internal grant schemes• Developing guidelines and selection

criteria for internal schemes• Advertising through Research and

Grants Bulletin and Research Office web pages

• Assisting in the assessment process• Arranging distribution of funding

3 Research Development

Assistance in the development of new research partnerships and in the formulation of bids for major new research initiatives is a key component of the strategic support provided to research staff by the Melbourne Research Office. Senior staff within the Office are available to work closely with you to:

• Seek opportunities for new major research initiatives such as CRCs and Centres of Excellence, and advise on key matters such as governance, IP management, compliance and risk;

• Maintain and utilise a network of external consultants to assist in the development of major bids;

• Keep abreast of new, major funding opportunities, particularly those initiated by the State Government; and

• Facilitate your engagement with external organisations with a view to establishing strong research partnerships.

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Pictured below formalising the E4Kids (Effective Early Educational Experiences) ARC Linkage Project agreement: Professor Peter Rathjen, DVC (Research), University of Melbourne with Mr Tony Cook (Deputy Secretary, Office for Children and Portfolio Coordination, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Vic Government) and Ms Carol Markie-Dadds (Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives, Office for Early Childhood Education and Care, Queensland Department of Education and Training).

4 Research Ethics and

IntegrityWithin the Melbourne Research Office, responsibility for research compliance rests with the Research Ethics and Integrity Group. This group has administrative and management responsibilities in four broad areas:• Human research ethics;• Animal research ethics and animal

welfare;• Gene technology and biosafety;

and• Research integrity.

The Research Ethics and Integrity Group is responsible for ensuring that systems and processes for enabling the ethical review of research proposals operate as effectively and efficiently as possible. The Group plays a vital role in the process of reviewing applications for ethics (human, animal and gene technology) approval, sitting on numerous University ethics committees, and coordinating the statutory reporting requirements for more than 2000 active projects.

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The Research Ethics and Integrity Group provides the following services in support of the University’s research agenda:

• Administration of all ethics applications for central committees;

• Administration of the policies and procedures established by the University’s Ethics Committees as they relate to Commonwealth and State legislation, relevant codes and sponsor requirements;

• Reporting to Commonwealth and State authorities, regulatory agencies, granting bodies and University insurers on committee operations, work approved, reviews and inspections of facilities, and ensuring currency of scientific establishment licenses;

• Provision of specialist information and advice to committee members and staff and research students on research integrity, human research ethics, animal experimentation and animal welfare, and gene technology and biosafety;

• Management of allegations of research misconduct and breaches of the Codes of Conduct for Research;

• Promulgation of the requirements of Codes of Conduct for Research to facilitate improvements to research practice across the University;

• Monitoring changes to existing, and the creation of new, regulatory schemes; working to seek to modify these where the impact on the University is negative; relationship management with these agencies; and

• Monitoring compliance with ethics and regulatory requirements in terms of project management and facilities/infrastructure.

5 Research Performance

Reporting and AnalysisThe Research Performance and Analysis Group is responsible for ensuring that the university’s statutory research reporting obligations are met. One of these obligations relates to the Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC), which has two components:

Research Publications• Research Books• Chapters in Research Books• Refereed Journal Articles• Fully Written Refereed Conference

Publications

Research Income• Australian Competitive Grants• Other Public Sector• Industry and Other• Cooperative Research Centres

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These data are used by the Commonwealth Government to calculate a variety of crucial performance-based funding allocations, including the Institutional Grants Scheme (IGS); the Research Training Scheme (RTS); and the Research Infrastructure Block Grant (RIBG).

The Research Performance and Analysis Group is responsible for ensuring the integrity of that data reported to the Commonwealth Government, and for ensuring compliance with external guidelines. Members of this group will lead the planning and analysis associated with the University’s participation in the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative.

The Group also plays a lead role in the data exchange with other Group of Eight (Go8) universities. These data are used for internal (to the Go8) benchmarking purposes only. Within the University, detailed analyses of research performance are provided on a faculty and department basis after every major round of competitive grants is announced, and also on the basis of other requested metrics. These data provide input to a faculty’s planning processes and to an assessment of its own performance, and highlight areas of research strength across the University.

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A key role of the Research Systems Group is to identify and resolve, in association with the central development team, outstanding system issues. The team works with the Themis Research client base (both academic and administrative staff) to identify, define and prioritise improvements required in the system. These modifications are then tested and documented. Training of the client base is a priority – twice-monthly ‘Introduction to Themis Research’ courses are run, aimed at new administrative and academic staff within the University.

6 Research Systems

The Research Systems Group has responsibility for ensuring our research management system, Themis Research, provides the best possible IT platform for research management and administration. The modular design of Themis Research supports the three core business areas of the office (grants and contracts, ethics, publications) through the provision of an on-line process for submitting and managing work requests from faculties.

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7 Professional Development

An extensive range of professional development programs and workshops for both academic and administrative staff is run by the Melbourne Research Office. These are complemented by several in-house publications that provide snapshots of critical policies as well as practical assistance. Our professional development programs, particularly those targeting academic staff, are in high demand. Examples include the 3-day Laying the Foundations: Workshop for Early Career Researchers, and the Future Research Leaders Program developed in consultation with other Go8 institutions.

Scheme-specific websites have been developed to provide researchers with as much information as possible to increase the competitiveness of their grant applications. For example, the ARC Linkage Projects website brings together information on successful projects over the past 8 years, downloadable copies of successful applications, information on collaborating organisations and their financial contributions, and tips on how to compile a competitive application. Combined with the use of an external consultant to review applications, this initiative has led to significant improvements in the University’s performance in the ARC Linkage Project scheme.

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8 Principal Points of Contact

Grants and Contracts

Dr Tania Bezzobs, Manager, Research Development tel: 8344 2039, email: tania.bezzobs@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Bryony Wakefield, Manager (Science, Humanities and Social Sciences) tel: 8344 2013, email: bryonyjw@unimelb.edu.au

Ana Brown, Manager (Engineering and Applied Sciences) tel: 8344 2044, email: ana.brown@unimelb.edu.au

Adriaan Adolph, Manager (Biomedical Research and Public Health) tel: 8344 2016, email: a.adolph@unimelb.edu.au

Research Ethics and Integrity

Dr Paul Taylor, Manager, Research Ethics and Integrity tel: 8344 2047, email: pmt@unimelb.edu.au

Kate Murphy, Executive Officer, Human Research Ethics tel: 8344 2073, email: cemurphy@unimelb.edu.au

Tim Anning, Executive Officer, Animal Ethics tel: 8344 2048, email: timothya@unimelb.edu.au

Dr Yvette Chen, Animal Welfare Officer tel: 8344 2075, email: ymmchen@unimelb.edu.au

Research Performance Reporting

Dr Shane Wood, Manager Research Reporting and Performance Analysis tel: 8344 2072, email: s.wood@unimelb.edu.au

Research Systems

Merren Cliff, Manager, Research Systems tel: 8344 2053, email: mcliff@unimelb.edu.au

Professional Development

Jane Pontikis, Coordinator, Communication and Professional Development tel: 8344 2065, email: jane.pontikis@unimelb.edu.au

Key ResourcesMelbourne Research Office Homepagewww.research.unimelb.edu.au

Research Grants and Contractswww.research.unimelb.edu.au/rgc

Research and Grants Bulletinwww.research.unimelb.edu.au/rgc/resources/bulletin

Finding and Applying for Grantswww.research.unimelb.edu.au/rgc/grants/find

ARC Discovery Project Micrositehttp://arc-discovery.unimelb.edu.au/

ARC Linkage Project Micrositehttp://linkage.unimelb.edu.au/

Research Contracts and Agreementswww.research.unimelb.edu.au/rgc/contracts

Intellectual Propertywww.research.unimelb.edu.au/ip/

Themiswww.themis.unimelb.edu.au

Research Integritywww.research.unimelb.edu.au/integrity

Human Research Ethicswww.research.unimelb.edu.au/humanethics

Animal Research Ethicswww.research.unimelb.edu.au/animals

Gene Technology and Biosafetywww.research.unimelb.edu.au/genetech

Research Performance and Analysiswww.research.unimelb.edu.au/performance

Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA)www.research.unimelb.edu.au/era

Professional Developmentwww.research.unimelb.edu.au/infosessions

Melbourne Research Brochureswww.research.unimelb.edu.au/brochures

Authorised by: Executive Director, Research Published by: Melbourne Research Our ref: MRO_Pub50 Copyright: The University of Melbourne, January 2010

CRICOS Provider Number: 00116K All information herein was correct at the time of printing. The University reserves the right to make changes as deemed appropriate.

Melbourne Research Level 5, Alan Gilbert Building 161 Barry Street (cnr Grattan Street), Carlton The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010 Australia www.research.unimelb.edu.au

Printed with vegetable-based inks on 100% recycled paper