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
Human ethics: mgse-ethics@unimelb.edu.au

Ethics Updates

Planned Outage
Infonetica Ethics Review Manager (ERM) users are advised that the system will be offline from 5pm Thursday 22 October until 8am Monday 26 October. Read more

Infonetica ERM is now live

The innovative new Infonetica Ethics Review Manager (ERM) system is now live for researchers (staff and students). Researchers will create new human research ethics applications in Infonetica ERM, and they will no longer use Themis Human Ethics Workbench. You may notice that there are no projects in your 'Work Area' in Infonetica ERM. This is because inflight applications in Themis will be made available in the new system on Monday 2 November.

Historical/completed applications in Themis will not be available in Infonetica ERM. If you need a copy, please submit a Service Now webform. To learn how to use the new system, please watch the training video, or refer to the learning support materials.

If you have a general query related to human research ethics, please email HumanEthics-Enquiries@unimelb.edu.au.

Infonetica ERM training queries can be emailed to ethics-melbourne@unimelb.edu.au.

For technical system support:

  • Staff submit a Service ticket, or call the Service Centre on (03) 8344 0888
  • Students call the Research Helpline on (03) 8344 0999.

Additional Infonetica ERM Training Now Available

Researchers and graduate researchers who submit human ethics applications are encouraged to attend one 1.5 hour training session to learn how to use Infonetica ERM.

The training session will cover the new human ethics application process, how to use Infonetica ERM to submit applications, and the new human ethics committee structures and meeting schedules.

Register by clicking on the suitable session below to apply using Eventbrite.

Date

Time

Eventbrite Registration Link

Wed 28 Oct

10.30am-12.00pm

Human Ethics Application Process & System Training

Wed 11 Nov

2.00pm-3.30pm

Human Ethics Application Process & System Training

Thu 19 Nov

10.30am-12.00pm

Human Ethics Application Process & System Training

Tue 24 Nov

10.30am-12.00pm

Human Ethics Application Process & System Training

Wed 2 Dec

1.30pm-3.00pm

Human Ethics Application Process & System Training

Please note – tailored training sessions will be held in the coming weeks for human research ethics committee members.

Ethics Reminders

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.