Research News

  • 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.
  • Update from Vic DET: A Phased Resumption

    A phased resumption of the Research in Schools and Early Childhood settings (RISEC) process progresses, subject to public health advice and operational guidance about external visitors to education settings.

    Phase 1

    Research activity involving education settings has resumed for research commissioned, partnered, or supported by DET or other Victorian government departments, on the condition that data have been provided to us about the anticipated time burden on education settings. DET is accepting new RISEC applications or requests to amend existing RISEC approvals, meeting the above requirements.

    Phase 2

    Research activity involving education settings may resume in Term 2, 2021 for remaining RISEC approval holders. This research must meet the following condition:

    • that you have notified the DET about the anticipated time burden on education settings.  A request was emailed to all existing RISEC approval holders.

    Researchers may now contact schools or early childhood sites to arrange their Term 2 activities.

    The following researchers may commence or recommence their research before Term 2. Please contact the Strategic Research Team to discuss your circumstances:

    • 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.

    For researchers attending education sites, completion of the School and Early Childhood Infection Prevention and Control During Coronavirus (COVID-19) eLearning module is required.

  • 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.

  • Melbourne Peer Review of Teaching Program

    Applications are open for the Melbourne PRT Program, a university-wide program providing academic staff with opportunities for formal evaluation and recognition of teaching performance. Teaching academics may apply to have their teaching reviewed by members of the Melbourne College of Reviewers; these members are academics with a track record in teaching excellence.

    Enquiries can be made to Sarah French.

    More information is available on the Melbourne PRT Program webpage.

  • 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.