Research Ethics and Safety Innovation Awards 2022
The aim of UniSA’s Research Ethics and Safety Innovation Awards is to encourage, recognise and celebrate innovation that has a positive or enabling impact on ethical and safe conduct in UniSA research. In addition to technical expertise and innovation, the Innovation Awards also encapsulate how the UniSA core attributes are demonstrated in the development and implementation of the innovation or enhancement.
There are four Innovation Awards, which are aligned with five ethics, compliance and safety areas and Committees:
- Innovation in Human Research Ethics Award
- Innovation in Animal Ethics Award
- Innovation in Biosafety Award
- Innovation in Chemical Safety or Radiation Safety Award
Sponsored by the Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research and Enterprise, each annual award has a total value of $10,000, and could be awarded to up to three individuals, or a team, and is to be used only for professional activities including professional development or conference travel.
The awards are open to UniSA academic staff (including adjuncts and emeritus staff), professional staff and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students.
Following an open call for nominations, expert judging panels will assess the nominations against the relevant criteria. The awards will be recommended to the DVC:RE, who will consider and provide final approval of each award, with the awards being presented at a ceremony at the end of the year.
All Academic Units, Central Units and Institutes are invited to submit nominations or self-nominations for these awards.
All submissions will be collated by the Deputy Director: Research and Innovation Services, and provided to the relevant Dean of Research or Unit Director for endorsement, prior to submission to the judging panels. FII nominations will be reviewed by the STEM Dean of Research, and CCB nominations by the CHS Dean of Research.
The time period for activities being nominated is during the 12 months prior to the closing date of the award, and the criteria for each award are provided below.
The nomination form is available here.
Nominations will be open until COB Friday 11 November 2022.
If you have any questions about the awards or the nomination process, please contact Camilla Liddy, Deputy Director: Research and Innovation Services via humanethics@unisa.edu.au
Nomination Criteria
Innovation in Human Research Ethics Award
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; this is not a requirement for the award but will be viewed favourably by the judges.
Nominations should indicate whether the novel/innovative alternative has been published in a peer review journal; this is not a requirement for the award but will be viewed favourably by the judges.
Innovation in Animal Ethics Award
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; this is not a requirement for the award but will be viewed favourably by the judges.
Nominations should indicate whether the novel/innovative alternative has been published in a peer review journal; this is not a requirement for the award but will be viewed favourably by the judges.
Innovation in Biosafety Award
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; this is not a requirement for the award but will be viewed favourably by the judges.
Nominations should indicate whether the novel/innovative alternative has been published in a peer review journal; this is not a requirement for the award but will be viewed favourably by the judges.
Innovation in Chemical Safety or Radiation Safety Award
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; this is not a requirement for the award but will be viewed favourably by the judges.
Nominations should indicate whether the novel/innovative alternative has been published in a peer review journal; this is not a requirement for the award but will be viewed favourably by the judges.
