MERI Updates
MERI Updates
Ethics and Travel Update
Contact information for MERI
Visit the MERI contact page to learn more about the team.
General inquiries: bblaher@unimelb.edu.au
Grants: mgse-grants@unimelb.edu.au
Graduate research: mgse-research@unimelb.edu.au
Change to Ethics support contacts
As of 2021, MERI and REPS will no longer support Ethics enquiries, contact numbers and links have been provided below. Please save and bookmark relevant pages.
Ethics Updates
Research Ethics Processes and Systems (REPS) Program
The Infonetics Ethics Review Manager (ERM) is now fully operational for researchers to apply to conduct studies involving humans, and the REPS program will conclude on Friday 18 December. Support for ethics will no longer be available from the REPS team after this date, at which point the REPS email inbox will be unattended.
Ethics support contacts
Infonetica technical support
- ServiceNow webform (staff-only)
- Research helpline: (03) 8344 0999
General human ethics support
- General information can be found on the Human Ethics website.
- General queries can be emailed to the Human Ethics Enquiries team.
Human Research Ethics Committees (HREC)
- General information, including meeting dates and committee membership, can be found on the HREC page.
- For information regarding a specific HREC, please contact the Research Ethics Officer assigned to that committee, found under the Committee Membership of the HREC website.
- HREC queries can be emailed to the Human Ethics Enquiries team.
Apply for ethics approval
- To apply for ethics approval, please visit the step-by-step guide.
Complaints or concerns
- Any complaints or concerns about the conduct of a research project should be emailed to the Research Integrity Administrator. You can also call on (03) 8344 1376.
Ethics Reminders
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Research activity in government schools and early childhood settings
All research and evaluation activity involving Victorian government schools and Victorian early childhood services requires approval through the Department of Education and Training’s (DET’s) Research in Schools and Early Childhood settings (RISEC) process.
The move to increased restrictions across Victoria necessitates that the DET again pauses the RISEC process and research and evaluation activities involving schools and early childhood sites. These activities are suspended for the remainder of 2020.
Therefore, the following should not proceed:
- RISEC-approved research and evaluations
- Any other contact with schools or early childhood sites, staff, or children to conduct, or to recruit for, research and evaluation activity
- RISEC applications and amendment requests.
There is no guarantee that this suspension of activities will not continue into next year. MERI encourages all supervisors to continue to discuss with Graduate Researchers how to redesign their project so that it can go forward.
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Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM): Applications to conduct research
CEM is still accepting applications to conduct research in CEM schools and these applications will be subjected to the usual review process. However, even if approved, researchers are not yet permitted to approach schools until they are given written permission by CEM. All approvals at the moment are ‘conditional’. Some projects have been exempt from this current ban on approaching schools (e.g. research that has been instigated by a school not an external researcher, or research that had already begun pre-COVID), but this is considered by CEM.
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Travel updates: China, Hong Kong and Indonesia
China
China will not allow most foreigners to enter China due to COVID-19 and direct flights between China and Australia have been significantly reduced. DFAT advises that if, despite that advice, you travel to China you will be subject to 14 days mandatory quarantine and quarantine requirements may change at short notice. If you’re already in China and wish to return to Australia, DFAT recommends you do so as soon as possible by commercial means. Australians are advised that they may be at risk of arbitrary detention.
Hong Kong
National Security legislation for Hong Kong came into effect on 1 July 2020. This law could be interpreted broadly and the full extent of the law and how it will be applied is not yet clear. You could break the law without intending to. You may be at increased risk of detention on vaguely defined national security grounds. Visit the Smart Traveller website and select 'Local Laws' to find out more.
Indonesia
New regulations are in place for researchers wishing to conduct research in Indonesia and foreign researchers are advised to confirm compliance with following new regulations:
“Foreign nationals conducting research in Indonesia are advised to reconfirm their compliance with local regulations, following a legislative amendment in July that introduced new requirements. Foreign researchers must now seek ethical approval from the Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry, alongside the pre-existing visa and permit requirements for conducting research. Penalties for non-compliance with this policy now include criminal prosecution with the possibility of imprisonment. Travellers intending to conduct research are advised to contact their nearest Indonesian Embassy for advice.”
The University of Melbourne would like to emphasise that researchers are to contact their nearest embassy or consulate for specific guidance if they are currently conducting research in Indonesia or will be in the future.
For more information:
Email the Research Integrity Unit
University travel portal
The University’s health and safety travel portal has been updated with the most recent DFAT travel advice.
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AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research
AIATSIS has announced the release of the AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research (AIATSIS Code of Ethics) in conjunction with a Guide to applying the AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research. These documents will supersede and replace the Guidelines for Ethical Research in Australian Indigenous Studies 2012 (GERAIS).
Research News
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Enhancements to Find an Expert
Find an Expert (FaE) is an important public-facing researcher profiling website that draws tens of thousands of people looking for a researcher at the University of Melbourne to establish a partnership, provide research supervision or seek an expert opinion.
As a critical public-facing website to showcase the intellectual capital on offer from our diverse range of researchers, we are ensuring that we are continually improving the FaE technology. Recent enhancements include a supervision enquiry form, a collection of theses supervised by a researcher, display of journal and book covers, and the capability to print profiles to hand out at conferences.
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Scholarly Services updates
Graduate Researchers are able to book an appointment to browse general library collections in a range of UoM Libraries. Graduate Researchers have all been advised of this development and given information of the booking and approval processes.
Bookable appointments to access both the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room in the Baillieu Library and the collection "browse and borrow" services were extended to approved UoM researchers as of Monday 7 December. This is by appointment only and via existing approval to attend campus processes. To make an appointment:
- Submit a return to campus request form
- Choose the Approval Type as ‘Research’, and request access to the Building in which the library you wish to visit is located. The application will be approved by your Academic Division approver
- Complete the online COVID-Safe training module in TrainMe and health declaration. Further details can be found on the attending campus page
- Once you have approval to attend campus, book an appointment.
Researchers must show Academic Division approval to attend campus and evidence of the health declaration (completed on the morning of attendance on campus) to be admitted to the Library.
Please also view the Browse and Borrow arrangements in place for select Libraries during January.
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Reminders
Key Dates: APPII, Major Initiatives, and Health and Medical teams
RIC has developed a calendar reference guide for upcoming key dates of major grant schemes managed by the APPII, Major Initiatives, and Health and Medical teams in MICG. Please download the calendar and direct any queries to the appropriate team in MICG. Contacts are available within the calendar.
ARC scheme EOIs open
Expression of Interest (EOI) for ARC schemes opening in the third and fourth quarter of the year are now available. If you are interested in applying for the current rounds please complete the EOI so that the MERI team can support you through the application process.
Research Events
ARC Grant Camp Series
The ARC Grant Camp series offers ARC applicants the opportunity to work on the background section of their application in a supportive environment. Led by Veronica Loew and Jonathan O’Donnell (Faculty of Science), each session provides concentrated time to draft a small part of your application and ask questions about specific parts of the application. The aim is not to produce polished prose, but to get words on paper that can be discussed with a mentor. It is designed to get people started on each section of the application in a timely manner.
Each session is run the same way, with a single overhead encapsulating the key points:
- 5 minutes of instructions
- 20 minutes of writing
- 5 minutes for questions
- another 20 minutes of writing.
Although designed for Discovery Project and Discovery Indigenous applicants, it is open to any ARC applicants. Each session in the series is detailed in the table below. Please note the zoom join link is the same for each session.
Additional join details:
- Join by phone: Dial (Australia): +61 3 7018 2005 or +61 2 8015 6011
- Meeting ID: 849 0720 6318
- Password: 184648
Seminar | Date and Time | Synopsis |
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Talking about your team and your partners | Thursday 7 January | Who is in your team? What are the skills and experiences of people in the team and how do they lend themselves to the project? Having a strong and effective team is essential to success. |
Describing significance and innovation | Tuesday 12 January | How is your project novel? How will it improve the current situation? What is the scope of the project? Spend some time nutting out the details of your Project Description. |
Publication context and your research outputs | Wednesday 20 January | What are the publication expectations in your discipline? What are the indicators of recognition within your field? Describe the importance and esteem of specific journals. |
Talking about the feasibility of your research | Monday 25 January | Describe how you will complete your project on time and within budget. What is your experience in managing large scale projects? What resources do you have that will enable the project to proceed? |
Detailing your methods | Thursday 4 February | What are you actually going to do? What are the tasks? And the framework? What is your timeline? |
Talking about impact and the National Interest Test | Wednesday 10 February | Who benefits from your project? And how? How will you make it happen? How will you know if it has worked? How will your research specifically benefit Australia? |
Writing a stronger budget justification | Tuesday 16 February | Who much will each task cost? How have you priced each item? Have you explained why the task is essential to the research project? An effective budget justification is essential to your application. |
Funding opportunities
MGSE funding submission essentials
This process is in response to both the MGSE Submissions Policy and the MGSE Grants Notice of Intent (NOI) Policy. It applies to both lead proposals (submitted via University) and non-lead proposals (submitted through other institutions).
It's essential to notify the MERI Grants team of your intent to apply for any funding opportunity, as all funding proposals (internal and external) need to be endorsed by the Dean, as Head of Department.
As all applications require several internal approvals, MERI sets its own close dates in advance of both the funding body (for submissions direct to sponsor), as well as the Research, Innovation, and Commercialisation (RIC) closing dates. This allows time to process your application before it is formally submitted.
If you're not sure you can make the MERI close date, email the Grants team with your intent to apply.
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Reminders
ARC Discovery Projects 2022: Applications now open
Deadline to contact the Grants team: Wednesday 17 February
The ARC Discovery Projects support fundamental research conducted by both individuals and teams. The scheme provides $30,000-$500,000 funding per annum for projects of two to five years duration. Project costs can be used for a variety of purposes. As indicated in the key dates below, applications open on Wednesday 11 November.
Key dates for Discovery Projects 2022
- Release of Grant Guidelines: 8 October 2019
- Applications Open: 11 November 2020
- Request Not to Assess Close: 10 February 2021
- Applications Close: 24 February 2021
- Rejoinders: 8 June 2021 to 22 June 2021
- Anticipated announcement: Fourth Quarter 2021
Email the Grants team to apply
ARC Discovery Indigenous 2022: Applications now open
Deadline to contact the Grants team: Wednesday 3 March 2021
The Discovery Indigenous scheme provides funding to Administering Organisations to support research programs led by an Indigenous Australian researcher and to build the research capacity of higher degree research and early career researchers. The scheme provides $30,000-$500,000 funding per annum for three years. Project costs can be used for a variety of purposes. As indicated in the key dates below, applications are now open.
Key dates for Discovery Indigenous 2022
- Release of Grant Guidelines: 8 October 2019
- Applications Open: 25 November 2020
- Request Not to Assess Close: 3 March 2021
- Applications Close: 17 March 2021
- Rejoinders: 17 June 2021 to 30 June 2021
- Anticipated announcement: Fourth Quarter 2021
Email the Grants team to apply
2021 Key Dates: Multiple Schemes
The below dates represent proposed key dates only and are subject to change. If you intend to apply for any of these grants, please ensure you communicate with the MGSE Grants team for a smoother application process.
An update confirming the exact dates will be made once the NHMRC makes an announcement.
Scheme
Application Open
Minimum Data
Application Close
2021 Investigator Grants
3 February 2021
3 March 2021
31 March 2021
2021 Synergy Grants
24 February 2021
24 March 2021
21 April 2021
2021 Ideas Grants
10 March 2021
7 April 2021
5 May 2021
2021 Postgraduate Scholarships
14 April 2021
12 May 2021
9 June 2021
2021 CTCS Grants
30 June 2021
28 July 2021
25 August 2021
Email the Grants team to apply
ARC Linkage Projects
Linkage Projects 2020 Assessment Round 3
- Submit review ready application to MERI: 26 October 2020
Submit review ready application to RIC: 2 November 2020
Request not to Assess due to RIC: 15 November 2020
Request not to Assess Close: 17 November 2020 - Final Application due to MERI: 17 November 2020
Final Application due to RIC: 24 November 2020
Final Applications due to ARC: 1 December 2020
If you are contemplating submitting an application in round 3, you must email the Grants team as soon as possible.
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Ongoing opportunities
The Ford Foundation - Challenging Inequality
Expressions of Interest are open on an ongoing basis
The Ford Foundation is a prestigious United States funder that has fellowship and project opportunities available in the broad thematic area of Challenging Inequality. Having a United States partner would improve the competitiveness of your application.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Applications are open on an ongoing basis
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has a grants database with fellowship and project opportunities that includes Higher Education in the Humanities, Arts and Cultural Heritage, Diversity, Scholarly Communications, and International Higher Education. Having a United States partner would improve the competitiveness of your application.
The Economic and Research Council
Applications are open on an ongoing basis
The Economic and Social Research Council has called for proposals for a range of project ideas and specific grant opportunities. Having a United Kingdom partner would improve the competitiveness of your application.