Research & Research Study

Report from Resnet meeting: 25 July 2006

Introducing Dr Margaret Stuart, Director, Research Ethics

Koki de Silva, Research Ethics Officer, introduced Dr Margaret Stuart to attendees as the new Executive Director, Research Ethics. Margaret’s role is to chair the Human Ethics Committee and to champion research ethics at Macquarie University.

The Research Office now deals with between 50 and 100 applications for human ethics clearance alone. Ethics clearances are also required for research conducted on animals and for research in the biological sciences relating to genetic manipulation and other sensitive areas. The ethics clearance process is required by legislation and is a ‘must’ for all researchers, including postgraduate research students. Margaret’s position was created in recognition of the substantial and increasing workload falling to academics involved in the ethics clearance process.

Margaret asked all RESNET members to stress to their researchers that the ethics clearance process is not simply an administrative inconvenience. It is something that can provide a great deal of guidance and assistance in thinking through research design. She reported that the three areas that will receive specific attention over the coming 12 months will be:

1. educating researchers what, why, and how of ensuring best practice in ethical management of research projects [through the research supervision training and commencement program, as well as through specific, issues-based workshops]
2. introducing an expedited review process for the consideration of human ethics applications, in order to reduce the current turnaround times [Margaret stressed, however, that good applications are the most effective means of reducing turnaround times]
3. providing an online application and project management facility for the ethics process, through IRIS  and by working with the National Health & Medical Research Council to introduce the National Ethics Application Form

Higher Degree Research Unit Report

Anne Thoeming, Manager, Higher Degree Research Unit, provided the following updates at the meeting:

• Please alert higher degree research students to the need to pay fees by 28 July  or face a $200 fine.  If a scholarship holder has a scholarship that expires within the next 6 months they should apply for an extension of deadline to the payment date by contacting Mathew Jannisen in Student Services.
• HDRU will be holding a 7 August meeting regarding APA assessment processes for all those involved in Higher Degree Research administration.

IRIS Report

Mark Ellis, Project Manager, IRIS, alerted ResNet attendees to the following:

• The Research Office website http://www.research.mq.edu.au/researchers/iris is now being regularly updated with IRIS project information.
• IRIS is currently being populated with the publications information that has been collected from researchers over the last 6 years. All MQ researchers will be able to log into the IRIS system and check and change their publications information before the end of the year.
• Within the next few weeks, the IRIS team will be conducting workshops with ResNetters to provide them with a ‘hands-on’ experience of the system’s publications interface and to get feedback on useability.

Grants Report

Karyn Knowles, Senior Grants Officer, Research Office, provided the following updates:

• The Postgraduate Research Fund has been advertised and enquiries are starting to come through to the Office from interested applicants. A presentation will shortly be downloadable from the website and grants staff are able to come to Divisions to conduct a workshop if given sufficient notice.
• 60 applications for MQ Research Fellowships were received and are now being considered by the Early Career Research Panel.  This year, those applicants who do not make the shortlist of around 15 applicants will be notified after the shortlisting meeting. They can expect to hear this news in late August/early September.  Divisions will be notified of the shortlisted applicants, which will allow Divisional Research Administrators to deduce who, from their Division, has not been successful. The final shortlist of 15 will then go through the referee process and will receive advice on the outcome of their application in late October.  Only 6 Fellowships will be awarded.
• The MQ Research Innovation Fellowships Scheme has been advertised and closes on 18 August.

Research Office Report

Janice Besch, Manager, Research Office, provided the following updates:

• With the Publications Audit now complete, the Research Office will shortly be returning the folders used to hold audit materials to Divisions, together with instructions on what is required at Divisional level for the reporting of publications outputs in 2007. Divisions will also receive a report on the publications performance of MQ researchers by Department and Division, including year on year comparisons over three years. A healthy increase in publications output was reported to DEST this year.
• Research Office staff will shortly be briefed on RQF and publications reporting, using slides from a recent RQF seminar conducted by ANU and DEST staff. ResNetters will be more than welcome to attend this briefing. Information will be posted to the ResNet broadcast email service once a date and location are set.
• The new Research Office website has been launched. Research Office communications by email will shortly also be improved, with a web newsletter and once-a-week email alert replacing the current single-issue Everyone Emails.
• ResNet’s plans to document existing research administration infrastructure at Macquarie University will be carried forward over the next few months as part of implementing the Research Office Management Plan. The objective is to consolidate and strengthen the support systems for researchers at Macquarie once the documentation of existing administrative infrastructure is complete.
• The Research Office will be moving into C5C with the Higher Degree Research Unit and the Dean, Higher Degree Research in May/June next year (HDRU may move sooner than this.) as part of creating what we are calling “Research Central”. C5C is being refurbished to accommodate our two units as well as a number of the University’s Research Centres. C5C will also provide workspace for higher degree research students.