Research ethics
Animal ethics
All University research and teaching involving the scientific use of non-human vertebrate animals must be reviewed and approved by an Animal Ethics Committee (AEC). Four AECs are responsible for approving and monitoring such research at the University. Each is constituted by representatives from veterinary science, research and teaching, animal welfare and the general public; and is overseen by an overarching Animal Welfare Committee. Administration of the application process is conducted by the Animal Ethics group within the Melbourne Research Office.
The use of animals for research and teaching is directed by a variety of federal and state legislation, codes of practice, guidelines and University policy. The key regulatory provisions in Victoria can be found within the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 (“the Act”) and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulations 2008.
The core document directing researchers, teaching staff and AECs in all aspects of scientific animal use is the Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (NHMRC). The Code identifies general principles governing the ethical and humane use and care of animals within science. AECs, under direction from the Victorian Bureau of Animal Welfare (BAW), apply these principles to animal ethics approval and monitoring within the University.
>> Go to Animal Ethics site
Human research ethics
The Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) has the responsibility, on behalf of the University, to provide general oversight of all matters pertaining to human research ethics. Responsibility for assessment of individual research projects rests with Human Ethics Sub-Committees (HESCs) which have been established in the areas of:
- Health Sciences
- Behavioural and Social Sciences
- Humanities and Applied Sciences
Each of these committees is composed in accordance with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (NHMRC), which also sets out the national guidelines for ethical conduct in research involving human participants.
Sub-Committees are assisted in their work by a number of departmental, school or faculty committees known as Human Ethics Advisory Groups (HEAGs), which provide preliminary assessment of human research projects submitted by staff and students, and can approve certain types of work.
>> Go to Human Ethics site