policy & reform
Researchers under the microscope
Projects face greater scrutiny all around as competition for dollars increases. By Louis White
The much publicised drama over Queensland University of Technology scientists who received more than $ 1 million to produce a now-discredited research paper is one of 52 disputes over research conduct that the National Health and Medical Research Council has had to investigate throughout the past six years.
QUT scientists received a $ 275,000 federal grant. They got a further $ 225,000 from then-premier Peter Beattie’ s state government for related work. Their total funding package was worth more than $ 1 million, to which the university also contributed, along with Brisbane company Tissue Therapies.
The paper, submitted in 2010, focused on stem cell research for growing tissues. US scientific journal Stem Cells and Development retracted it after a whistleblower pointed out errors.
The scientists have since abandoned the work and there is the possibility that QUT could be forced to pay back money depending on the NHMRC investigation.
The school has informed the Crime and Misconduct Commission and the NHMRC and it must be stated that the scientists involved were cleared of any misconduct. But one wonders whether the QUT scientists felt pressured to get their research published before it was ready, having received such a large grant and with the media watching – not to mention the politics involved.
The NHMRC is one of many bodies that receive grants from the Australian Research Council. In 2012-13, the ARC administered a budget of $ 879.1 million under the National Competitive Grants Program( NCGP). That total includes funding awarded to Australian universities and other eligible administering organisations.
In 2012, Monash University was awarded the largest total amount, followed by The University of Queensland and The Australian National University.
But the reality is that despite this vast pool of money, research funding is decreasing and universities are regularly looking to sources other than federal and state governments to fund vital projects.
“ Research funding pots are shrinking and the landscape is changing as funding bodies are keen to tackle major societal challenges of our time and encourage the finding of solutions through international collaborations,” says Dr Karen Shaw, director of research and development at Murdoch University.
“ Consequently, there are more competitive pressures on academic staff to justify how they will spend research monies, particularly those coming from the public purse. Research outputs in the form of high-quality publications are one way of demonstrating a return on research investment. So yes, academic staff probably do feel some pressure to regularly publish their work.”
They are certainly under scrutiny. Of the 52 investigations NHMRC alone has launched over the past six years, 46 have been concluded and 20 allegations were found to have a base. Institutions, researchers or third parties raised 35 of the allegations, whilst the remaining 17 were highlighted through the research council’ s peer review processes. The most common basis for claims of misconduct was the alleged misuse of data.
In addition to this, the ARC itself has extensive reporting requirements attached to research funding that it awards. The specifics for each project are listed in the relevant contract. The lists can be long: progress reports, final reports, end-of-year reports, audited financial statements, annual reports and reports on contributions from partner organisations.
Reports on output and outcome play an increasingly significant role in government research funding and policy. The ARC compiles the statistics and reserves the right to withhold further payments for any project until the appropriate reports have been received and assessed as satisfactory.
World leaders In order to meet these requirements, all Australian universities have thorough research processes and checks. The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research was developed as a guide to responsible practices and to promote integrity. It helps institutions develop their own employee codes of conduct and procedures for the investigation of allegations of wrongdoing.“ A research paper usually represents the culmination of outcomes of a discrete piece of work within an overall research program,” Shaw says.“ The qualities required to write and submit research papers will vary between academic disciplines and research journals will specify the format in which they require the manuscript.”
Australian universities rank high in research worldwide. For example, in the last national quality assessment, Murdoch University had the following disciplines assessed as above or well above world
www. campusreview. com. au Issue 8 2013 | 15