Research Ethics and Safety Innovation Awards 2025

Individuals or teams may be nominated or self-nominate.

The application must be written in lay language.

Areas of innovation in human research ethics could include, but are not limited to, innovation and enhancement in:

• Research Ethics Management Systems;
• Research Methodology, Design and Conduct; or
• Training

Applicants must submit a concise statement (of no longer than 500 words) that addresses at least one of the following, and how UniSA core attributes have been demonstrated:

• Development of a novel/innovative alternative that provides benefits to diverse stakeholders such as UniSA, industries, communities, population groups;
• Development of a novel/innovative approach that is scalable between smaller and larger research projects or that is applicable across disciplines;
• Development of an innovative alternative that improves efficiencies in human research that saves researchers and/or human participants difficulty, time, money or risk;
• Development of an innovative alternative that improves and enhances community engagement and involvement of human participants in research at UniSA;
• Development of an innovative alternative that improves participant data security and reduces risks related to confidential or sensitive data collection, management and storage; or
• Development of an innovative alternative that improves UniSA processes and business systems in managing human ethics application approvals and/or associated data systems.

Nominations should indicate whether the novel/innovative alternative has been validated for use in research or teaching.

Nominations should indicate whether the novel/innovative alternative has been published in a peer review journal.

Eligibility Criteria:

The award is open to UniSA academic staff, professional staff and Higher Degrees Research (HDR) students employed/studying ≥0.4FTE at the time of nomination. Nominations must meet the following eligibility criteria;

• A majority component of the work cited in the nomination must have been completed by UniSA staff or students and undertaken within the calendar year immediately preceding the year of the award application closing date.
• Nominees’ research activity must be fully compliant with human research ethics requirements during the period when the work was done. Any findings by the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of a breach of compliance by any members of the nominee’s research or teaching group during the period when the work was done will render any member of that group ineligible for nomination for an award for that work.
• The work cited in the nomination must have been carried out under a UniSA HREC project approval.

Individuals or teams may be nominated or self-nominate.

The application must be written in lay language.

Areas of innovation in animal ethics could include, but are not limited to, innovation and enhancement in:

• Research Ethics Management Systems;
• Research Methodology, Design and Conduct; or
• Training

Applicants must submit a concise statement (of no longer than 500 words) that addresses at least one of the following, and how UniSA core attributes have been demonstrated:

• Development of a novel/innovative alternative that replaces the use of animals in research or teaching for scientific purposes with a non-animal procedure or with an animal of lower sentience/nociception;
• Development of an innovative alternative that reduces the number of animals used in research or teaching for scientific purposes without compromising the quality or quantity of the information obtained by comparable procedures;
• Development of an innovative alternative that provides greater relief of pain or distress in animals used for research or teaching for scientific purposes; or
• Development of an innovative alternative that improves the welfare outcome for animals used in research and/or teaching for scientific purposes.

Nominations should indicate whether the novel/innovative alternative has been validated for use in research or teaching.

Nominations should indicate whether the novel/innovative alternative has been published in a peer review journal.

Eligibility Criteria:

The award is open to UniSA academic staff, professional staff and Higher Degrees Research (HDR) students employed/studying ≥0.4FTE at the time of nomination. Nominations must meet the following eligibility criteria;

• A majority component of the work cited in the nomination must have been completed by UniSA staff or students and undertaken within the calendar year immediately preceding the year of the award application closing date.
• Nominees’ research activity must be fully compliant with animal ethics requirements during the period when the work was done. Any findings by the Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) of a breach of compliance by any members of the nominee’s research or teaching group during the period when the work was done will render any member of that group ineligible for nomination for an award for that work.
• If the work cited in the nomination involved the use of live animals, the animal work must have been carried out under a UniSA AEC project approval.

Individuals or teams may be nominated or self-nominate.

The application must be written in lay language.

Areas of innovation in biosafety could include, but are not limited to, innovation and enhancement in:

• Biosafety Management Systems;
• Research Methodology, Design and Conduct; or
• Training

Applicants must submit a concise statement (of no longer than 500 words) that addresses at least one of the following, and how UniSA core attributes have been demonstrated:

• Demonstrate the application of ingenuity and technical knowledge in developing practical solutions to biosafety or biosecurity risks or hazards;
• Development of novel and significant innovation to biosafety management that results in risk reduction through biological containment, concentration and enclosure of micro-organisms; exposure minimisation; physical containment; and/or hazard minimisation to reduce the consequences should exposure occur;
• Demonstrate outstanding leadership and/or commitment to biosafety or biosecurity; or
• Demonstrate a significant contribution or outstanding achievement to promote biosafety and/or biosecurity in research and/or teaching.

Nominations should indicate whether the novel/innovative alternative has been validated for use in research or teaching.

Nominations should indicate whether the novel/innovative alternative has been published in a peer review journal.

Eligibility Criteria:

The award is open to UniSA academic staff, professional staff and Higher Degrees Research (HDR) students employed/studying ≥0.4FTE at the time of nomination. Nominations must meet the following eligibility criteria:-

• A majority component of the work cited in the nomination must have been completed by UniSA staff or students and undertaken within the calendar year immediately preceding the year of the award application closing date.
• Nominees’ research activity must be fully compliant with biosafety requirements during the period when the work was done. Any findings by the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) of a breach of compliance by any members of the nominee’s research or teaching group during the period when the work was done will render any member of that group ineligible for nomination for an award for that work.

Individuals or teams may be nominated or self-nominate.

The application must be written in lay language.

Areas of innovation in chemical or radiation safety could include, but are not limited to, innovation and enhancement in:

• Chemical or Radiation Safety Management Systems;
• Chemical or Radiation Safety Methodology, Design and Conduct; or
• Training

Applicants must submit a concise statement (of no longer than 500 words) that addresses at least one of the following, and how UniSA core attributes have been demonstrated:

• Development of a novel technology or alternative that replaces or reduces the use of hazardous chemicals and/or radiation sources in either an industrial application and/or research or teaching;
• Demonstrate the application of ingenuity and technical knowledge in developing practical solutions to chemical and/or radiation risks or hazards;
• Demonstrate a significant contribution to chemical and/or radiation management or sustainability through innovation, related publications or high impact commercial outcomes;
• Design and development of small chemical molecules or nanomaterials as potential therapeutic or bioactive agents to reduce chemical and/or radiation risks or hazards associated with their production, transport, storage, handling or disposal;
• Demonstrate outstanding leadership and/or commitment to chemical and/or radiation safety and/or chemical and/or radiation sustainability; or
• Demonstrate a significant contribution or outstanding achievement to promote chemical and/or radiation sustainability or safety communication and/or education.

Nominations should indicate whether the novel/innovative alternative has been validated for use in research or teaching.

Nominations should indicate whether the novel/innovative alternative has been published in a peer review journal.

Eligibility Criteria:

The award is open to UniSA academic staff, professional staff and Higher Degrees Research (HDR) students employed/studying ≥0.4FTE at the time of nomination. Nominations must meet the following eligibility criteria;

• A majority component of the work cited in the nomination must have been completed by UniSA staff or students and undertaken within the calendar year immediately preceding the year of the award application closing date.
• Nominees’ research activity must be fully compliant with chemical safety requirements during the period when the work was done. Any findings by the University Chemical Advisory Safety Committee (UCASC) of a breach of compliance by any members of the nominee’s research or teaching group during the period when the work was done will render any member of that group ineligible for nomination for an award for that work.