Australian Research Integrity Committee
The Australian Research Integrity Committee (ARIC) was established by the Australian Government in February 2011.
The ARIC is jointly established by the ARC and the National Health and Medical Research Council.
- Establishment and Purpose of ARIC
- ARIC Operations and Support
- Evaluation of ARIC
- ARIC Members
- Ms Patricia Kelly PSM (Chair)
- Emeritus Professor Alan Lawson (Deputy Chair)
- Ms Julie Hamblin
- Mr Michael Chilcott
- Emeritus Professor John Finlay-Jones
- Professor Margaret Otlowski
- Emeritus Professor Janice Reid AC
- ARIC Annual reports
Establishment and Purpose of ARIC
The ARIC undertakes reviews of institutional processes used to manage and investigate potential breaches of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (the Code). In doing so, the committee contributes to the quality assurance of, and public confidence in, the integrity of Australia’s research effort. The ARIC Framework, which sets out ARIC’s terms of reference and other relevant information, was revised in July 2019 to align it with the provisions of the 2018 Code.
- ARIC Framework – PDF Format (283KB) – Word Format (85KB)
Specifically, ARIC will, following acceptance of a request for review:
- conduct an independent review of the processes followed by an institution in the management or investigation of a potential breach of the Code to determine whether they were in accordance with the Code and the Investigation Guide and/or with relevant institutional policy and procedures, and
- develop advice to the relevant CEO on the outcome of the review and, where relevant, on any recommendations for further action by an institution.
In all matters, ARIC considers whether the institution’s response to a potential breach of the Code was consistent with the principles and responsibilities of the Code, the guidance in the Investigation Guide, and the institution’s policies and procedures for investigating potential breaches of the Code.
ARIC Operations and Support
- ARIC-NHMRC, established under s39 of the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992.
- ARIC-ARC, established under the executive powers of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the ARC.
Secretariat support for the ARIC comes from the relevant agency.
Requesting a review from the ARIC:
- ARIC Request for Review Updated July 2019 – PDF Format (277KB) – Word Format (210KB)
Evaluation of ARIC
- the way in which ARIC receives requests for review, including decisions about which matters are within scope
- the processes for conducting reviews, including the time taken to complete the review
- the relevance of ARIC’s advice to the respective CEOs, including its suggested recommendations to institutions
- the satisfaction of stakeholders with ARIC’s processes and outcomes
- ARIC’s relationship with institutions, including institutions’ compliance and cooperation on reviews and the extent to which ARIC’s recommendations are acted on when communicated to institutions
- whether ARIC‘s existence and role are known and understood by relevant stakeholders, including the extent to which institutions make information about ARIC available to relevant parties
- what qualifications or mix of qualifications ARIC members should have and what is the best way of achieving an effective balance both in experience and numbers, including a suitable selection process to recruit new members
- the operation of the secretariat, including the split across the two agencies, particularly how this affects the secretariat’s support for ARIC members.
The independent evaluation of ARIC was initially expected to be completed by March 2023, however, stakeholder engagement has been extensive and the evaluation is yet to be finalised. The evaluation is expected to be finalised in the second half of 2023.
Australian Research Integrity Committee (ARIC) Members
ARIC Annual reports
- ARIC Annual Report to the Sector 2021-22 PDF Format (215KB) – Word Format (79.9KB)
- ARIC Annual Report to the Sector 2020-21 PDF Format (165.58KB) – Word Format (62.88KB)