Research News

Research News

  • Surveys

    Academic resilience in times of adversity

    Closing Date: Friday 30 April 

    You are invited to participate in a short online survey to identify one strategy that has helped you manage your academic work during COVID-19.

    Contact Marian Mahat for any queries.

  • Ethics Support Contacts

    The Infonetica Ethics Review Manager (ERM) is now fully operational for researchers to apply to conduct studies involving humans.

    Ethics support contacts

    Infonetica technical support

    General human ethics support

    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

    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.
  • Research activity in government schools and early childhood settings

    All research and evaluation activity involving these sites requires approval through the Department of Education and Training’s (DET’s) Research in Schools and Early Childhood settings (RISEC) process.

    In February 2021, research activity involving education settings resumed or commenced for research commissioned, partnered, or supported by DET or other Victorian government departments, on the condition that data were provided about the anticipated time burden on education settings.

    Under the next phase of resumption, research activity involving education settings may resume in Term 2, 2021 for remaining RISEC approval holders. Researchers with RISEC approvals may now contact schools or early childhood sites to arrange their Term 2 activities. Researchers must meet the following condition:

    • that data have been provided to DET in 2021 about the anticipated time burden on education settings (a survey link has previously been emailed to existing RISEC approval holders).

    In addition, the following researchers are invited to contact the Strategic Research Team at research@education.vic.gov.au to discuss their circumstances, including the possibility of commencing or recommencing their research prior to Term 2:

    • university students who will not meet their course requirements if they delay their fieldwork
    • RISEC approval holders with expiring funding, where that funding cannot be extended.

    DET is accepting RISEC applications, or requests to amend existing RISEC approvals, meeting the above requirements only.

    The RISEC webpage will be updated once further information becomes available.

    Any queries may be directed to the Strategic Research Team at research@education.vic.gov.au

    For more information visit the Conduct research page on the Education and Training website.

  • NSW DET - Research involving sensitive issues post-COVID19

    NSW DET is reminding research institutions who research in NSW public schools that if a research project involves investigating sensitive issues that could potentially cause distress to students, the project may be declined. The Directorate considers research in the following areas highly sensitive and potentially distressing to students:

    • Mental health
    • Body image and eating disorders
    • Death, grief and trauma
    • Anti-social and criminal activities or behaviours
    • Alcohol, drug or substance abuse
    • Attitudes towards the opposite sex and sexual behaviours, and
    • Ethnic, race and gender issues and relations.

    For favourable consideration of research applications in the abovementioned areas, researchers must provide a risk management plan with their application. It is a condition of research approval in these sensitive areas that researchers or their sponsoring organisation will provide free of cost support services. These support services include clinical or counselling services to participating students and their families in the case of potential mental health or psychological issues arising out of their participation in the research project.

  • 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.

  • The Foreign Relations Act

    Please note requirements staff need to follow when engaging in international collaborations. The University also continues to advocate widely on the value of international collaborations, believing that any additional Government regulation and monitoring should be proportionate to risk, and balanced against the vast majority of international engagements that deliver enormous and valuable benefit to Australian society and beyond.

    An immediate consideration is the recent introduction of Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Act 2020(Foreign Relations Act). It principally regulates arrangements between State and Territory governments and certain foreign parties. It also covers public universities.

    The Act covers any arrangements the University seeks to enter into with specified foreign entities. These are broadly:

    • A foreign government, including local and municipal governments
    • A foreign university that lacks institutional autonomy because a foreign government exercises substantial control over it.

    At present, the University is required to commence notifying the Minister of relevant prospective arrangements from 10 March 2021. If your colleagues are currently working on a matter that may involve a foreign entity covered by the Act, please contact one of the nominated contacts below.

    • For all research-related arrangements, including grants, research agreements, partnerships and collaborationsSevilla Furness-Holland (Due Diligence Coordinator, RIC)

    No action is required unless you believe that your research:

    • will not be recorded in Themis Research; or
    • should not be displayed on a public register, for example, if the information is commercially sensitive.

    RIC is establishing a process for notifying research-related foreign arrangements using existing data sets. This will not require you to make contact, but RIC may be in touch if additional information is needed.

    • For all university-level research agreements, including cooperation agreements, and joint PhD agreements: Maria Roitman (Associate Director, International Research, CRE)
    • For all philanthropic and alumni matters: Sonia Ingham (Head of Gift Acceptance, Advancement Operations)
    • For all international commercial matters: Paul Holland (Director, Commercial Services)
    • For university-level, faculty-level and sub-faculty level non-research MoUs (Broad Academic Collaboration), Student Exchange and Study Abroad Agreements, Letters of Intent, Student Sponsorship Agreements, Agent Agreements: Julie Fam (Senior Partnerships Advisor, Chancellery International)
    • For all Third-Party Provider and Internship Agreements: Davina Potts (Associate Director, Global Leadership and Employability, Student and Scholarly Services)
    • For any arrangement that is not covered by the above areas, please contact Jim Maxwell (Director Legal Services).

    It is important that colleagues familiarise themselves with the requirements under the Act.  Further information regarding the Scheme is available in the University’s Knowledge Base Article. For those who have concerns regarding the Foreign Arrangements Scheme or any foreign arrangements that may be impacted by it, the above contacts are available for further discussion.

  • Chancellor's Prize for Excellence in PhD Thesis

    Nominations are invited for the annual Chancellor's Prize for Excellence in the PhD Thesis for 2021. Students who completed a PhD degree in 2020 are eligible for nomination and supervisors are encouraged to consult with their Head of Department/School. Nominations must be submitted to Faculty Deans by Heads of Departments/Schools by Friday 14 May.

    Contact Xian-Zhi Lai for any queries.

    More information is available on the Chancellor's Prize webpage.

  • Introducing the Melbourne Coder Network

    If you are a coder, or a researcher in need of some coding, come to the secure University online marketplace that aims brings expertise together. It is easy to create a profile, look for work or post a job across a diverse and vibrant digital community. Interested? Access the app with your University credentials using the link below.

    Enquiries: Coder Network

    Melbourne Coder Network app.