Expert Consultancy for Ethics and Integrity in Research
AHRECS: A Voice for constructive change.
Advancing ethics and integrity in research. Experts in Human Research Ethics, Animal Ethics, and Research Integrity.
- Access to leading experts in research ethics.
- High quality consultancy including research integrity, human research ethics, animal ethics, and for Australia, New Zealand and the wider Asia-Pacific region as well as the UK, Ireland and Europe.
- Enables effective implementation of ethics guidelines, policy, practice and processes for government and non-government bodies, universities, health and education institutions, private institutions, research funding bodies, researchers, and ethics staff.
- Services range from large scale organisational reviews to support concerning specific detailed questions for individual projects.
Our hands-on institutional experience is complemented by our academic work. We have a track record of implementing successful strategies in collaboration with institutions.
We have experience with national drafting, reference group and oversight committees that coordinate changes to research ethics guidelines.
Who we are & what we do
We bring together leading experts in human and animal research ethics and integrity with decades of world-class experience in research, policy development and service delivery.
We work in Australia, New Zealand and the wider Asia-Pacific region and also collaborate with Simon Anderson Consulting in the United Kingdom and Europe.
We work across the research and compliance lifecycles for research ethics and integrity, enabling institutions and their staff to meet regulatory requirements and act with the skills and attributes associated with the ethical and responsible conduct of research.
We work on specific projects or through ongoing advisory arrangements.
Our projects have been delivered on time and within budget. Our reports contain practical recommendations on how to meet change objectives. Before commencing work AHRECS provides a costed proposal and confirms a shared understanding of the objectives for the work.
Organisations that we work with.
Trusted by institutions worldwide, AHRECS delivers expert guidance in human research ethics, animal ethics and research integrity. Clients value AHRECS for tailored solutions, in-depth knowledge, and a commitment to best practices.
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Orygen
We advised Orygen on the value of establishing its own HREC and identified alternative options.
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
We assisted CSIRO to establish its own research ethics committee, policies and proportional arrangements.
University of Technology Sydney
We reviewed and reshaped human research ethics arrangements to achieve robust, streamlined and transparent approaches and a positive user experience.
Our Services include
Research Integrity
- Desktop audit of research integrity arrangements to review implementation and evaluate this alongside comparable institutions.
- Create a blueprint for practical ways arrangements could be improved.
- Provide a professional development plan for meeting national requirements (such as the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research).
- Design and deliver professional development for research integrity advisors, integrity officers and research communities.
- Advise on research misconduct allegations and conduct investigations.
Human Research Ethics
- Desktop audits of existing processes and advice on updating human research ethics review arrangements.
- Developing and reviewing policies and procedures for human research ethics review.
- Context-specific professional development, including training-the-trainers and educational resource material.
- Mentoring for research ethics committee chairs and professional staff.
- Discipline-specific advice in health and social sciences.
Animal Ethics
- Assisting institutions to meet and exceed regulatory compliance obligations.
- Advice on establishing and managing Animal Ethics Committees
- Developing and reviewing policies and procedures and educational resource material.
- Context-specific professional development for staff and committee members.
- Preparing for and conducting the required Independent External Review.
- Providing advice on specific matters related to animals in teaching and research.
Professional development and mentoring
- Context-specific professional development, including training-the-trainers and educational resource material.
- Professional development workshops for ethics committees.
- Mentoring for research ethics committee chairs and professional staff.
Audits and Reviews
- participates in coordinating and implementation committee meetings.
- offers practical options for how an institution could best achieve its objectives in a manner that is effective, efficient, sustainable and constructive.
- identifies potential pitfalls and helps avoid mistakes made elsewhere.
- advises on change management strategies to achieve desired results.
- provides formal advice and collegiate mentoring during the change process.
- meets with key stakeholders to refine approaches and ensure they are relevant, appropriate and result in lasting and constructive change.
- ensures changes draw on a deep understanding of the research literature, professional experience, emerging issues and government requirements.
Policies and Procedures
- Review policy and procedures related to ethics processes.
- Draft policy and procedures for institutions.
- Design practical discipline-, methodology-, institution- and jurisdiction-specific resource material to assist with implementing policy and procedures.
- Mentor and support develop professional staff, committee chairs and members and researchers.
Meet our team
Dr Mark Israel
Senior consultant
Kim Gifkins
Senior consultant
Dr Erich von Dietze
Senior consultant
Dr Nik Zeps
Consultant
Dr Geoff Dandie
Consultant
Dr Amanda Fernie
Consultant
Assoc. Prof. Mandy Downing
Consultant
Simon Anderson
Consultant
Dr Gary Allen
Senior Advisor
Prof Colin Thomson AM
Senior Advisor
Our services are costed to suit the client’s needs.
Advancing ethics and integrity in research. Experts in Human Research Ethics, Animal Ethics, and Research Integrity.
We also offer pre-purchased hours to enable accessible advice to support instances including
- a difficult or contentious research ethics review;
- advising on tricky research integrity questions;
- Accessing confidential advice for a research integrity proceeding
Sometimes it’s valuable to get a second opinion from an expert if only to confirm you are on the right track.
Pre-purchase time
- Up-front fee for on-call access to our knowledge and expertise.
- Avoid negotiating individual contracts for a series of small-scale activities.
- Specific professional, managerial and research staff are pre-approved to engage us as specific matters arise.
- Transfer unspent funds to future work.
Options:
1 Monthly retainer
- Recurring fee for specified or open-ended period.
- Allocate an annual budget for ongoing activities.
2 Pre-purchase time
- Purchase an agreed number of hours.
- Allocate priorities to specific short-term needs (e.g. the review of documents or projects) as these arise.
Costed whole project
- Define the full scope of the project to identify all required resources and tasks.
- Break the project into phases or milestones to allow for flexibility as the project develops.
- Spread costs over multiple annual budgets.