Collaborative Research Procedure

Intent

This Procedure provides advice to ensure compliance with the JCU Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (Research Code) and the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity throughout collaborative research projects, including research conducted with overseas institutions or research conducted outside Australia.

Some of the definitions and other text in this Procedure are reproduced from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Collaborative Research Guide.

This Procedure addresses Higher Education Standards Framework (HESF) Standard 4.1.1.

Scope

This Procedure applies to all staff and students involved in research collaborations, including Affiliates of James Cook University (JCU; the University), and the Singapore and Brisbane campuses.

Definitions

Except as otherwise specified in this Procedure or the JCU Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, the meaning of terms used are as per the Policy Glossary.

Introduction

Research can involve a wide range of collaborations within institutions, between institutions, with industry, government, not-for-profit sectors and internationally. Collaborative research raises specific issues that must be negotiated, including differences in research methodology, research practices and variations in regulatory and legal systems. It also includes the management of funding and intellectual property arrangements, organisational structures and research cultures.

Procedure

1. University Responsibilities

1.1 Collaborative agreements

All collaborative research projects that involve JCU should be governed by an agreement with all project partners prior to the commencement of the research project. Agreements must be in writing and may take various forms including a legal agreement or contract or an exchange of letters.

Regardless of the nature of the agreement, the relevant JCU research administrators and legal officers will ensure that an agreement complies with the JCU Research Code and its supporting Procedures, and any applicable laws, policies and regulations, including funding body requirements and executed according to the University’s Financial Sub-delegation Register. They will also engage with the Research Project Leader to ensure that the terms and responsibilities of any agreement are clearly understood and are accepted by researchers participating in the research project.

1.2 Considerations for a Collaborative Agreement

A number of specific issues need to be addressed in a collaborative research agreement prior to the commencement a research project, these may include but are not limited to:

• clearly defined expectations of each party in terms of definitions of roles and responsibilities, including the designation of the institution or individuals that will take the lead in reporting to funders, regulatory bodies or in the management of potential breaches of the Research Code;
• the use, management, sharing, and ownership of research data, source material, (including Indigenous data, sovereignty and governance arrangements), and intellectual property (including copyright and pre-existing intellectual property belonging to individual parties that is shared in the course of the collaborative research);
• recognise and support the rights of Indigenous peoples to control, own, maintain, protect and develop their Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP);
• access to research data, primary materials and other items that are retained at the end of the project, including any open access requirements;
• the ongoing ownership, stewardship or control of research data and primary materials in the event a researcher or institution leaves the collaboration during the project;
• the requirements for the disclosure and management of conflicts of interest;
• the allocation of responsibilities in relation to ethics approvals and safety clearances;
• the management of confidentiality issues;
• the protocols for authorship and acknowledgement of research outputs, including data outputs;
• funding arrangements (with funding sources declared transparently);
• plans to commercialise research outputs and any entitlements to commercial returns, if any;
• the designation of which party or parties are entitled to speak on behalf of the collaboration;
• dispute resolution procedures; and
• the processes for examining potential breaches of the Research Code, including situations where it may be necessary to share researchers’ personal information with collaborating institutions and, when applicable, funders.

2. Researcher Responsibilities

2.1 Developing Collaborative Research Agreements

Research Project Leaders are responsible for monitoring the requirements of research agreements for their collaborative projects. Leaders will actively engage in identifying issues relating to the project that should be addressed in the agreement, as well as monitoring the adherence to, and effectiveness of, the agreement throughout the course of the collaborative research project.

It is the Research Project Leader’s responsibility to ensure that all members of the research project team understand the terms of the research agreement.

2.2 Compliance with multi-institutional agreements and University policies

All researchers involved in collaborative research projects must comply with all JCU policies and written agreements that govern the conduct of the project, for example, Research Code, ethics guidelines, management of research data and primary materials and the Intellectual Property Policy.

3. Breaches of the Research Code

Any potential breaches of the Research Code will be managed in accordance with University policy and procedures.

Related policy instruments

JCU Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research Policy

Managing and Investigating Potential Breaches of the JCU Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research Procedure

Schedules/Appendices

Nil

Administration

NOTE:  Printed copies of this procedure are uncontrolled, and currency can only be assured at the time of printing.

Approval Details

Revision History