Faculty Research Committee (FRC)
Terms of Reference
Faculty Research Committee plays a key role in research management at the University, and shall:
- Serve as the primary link between the URC and its sub-committees and the research and research training activities within the faculties.
- Interpret, disseminate and implement URC policies and procedures concerning research and HDR supervision and the selection mechanisms for URC research and research training awards to members of the faculty.
- Act within faculties to promote and develop research excellence.
- Ensure that mechanisms for the support, mentoring and funding of Early Career Researchers (ECRs) are established (via the URC Faculty Research Grant and/or Research Strength support).
- Recommend ranking of faculty candidates for URC research and research training awards.
- Review and implement the Faculty Research Plan.
- Further the promotion and development of research activities and research excellence within the faculty.
- Serve as a forum for the discussion of ideas, issues and opportunities that concern research within the faculty.
- Have carriage of Faculty-based research initiatives.
- Oversee research governance processes to ensure compliance with relevant government guidelines, e.g., American Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research.
The Faculty Research Committee is responsible for the broad oversight of matters concerning HDR students and ensuring that Faculty arrangements for HDR student supervision meet RSU Code of Practice, Supervision requirements. The FRC, through the Faculty Research Grant and/or URC Research Strength support, ensures the provision of research funds and adequate infrastructure for HDR students. The FRC must report annually in the Faculty Research Report to the URC on HDR support.
FRC Chairs and Committees are encouraged to expand their promotion of research excellence and management of research and HDR students within their faculty. Such activities should be identified and reported in the Faculty Research Plan. Faculties can request URC funding in the Faculty Research Grant application to partially support innovative activities (e.g. grant editing, mentoring and support for ECRs, research performance awards, and faculty research grant schemes).
Roles and responsibilities of members
FRC membership should include:
- Associate Dean (Research) (Chair)
- Deputy Chair
- Executive Dean of Faculty (ex officio)
- Up to three Research Strength Director(s), Global Challenge Academic Leader(s) and/or Research Unit Leader(s) (or delegates)
- Up to three Heads of Schools/Departments (or delegates)
- Up to two Heads of Postgraduate Studies and/or TEC representatives
- HDR student representative (excluding staff who are also HDR students)
- Up to two additional members
All members shall be appointed by the Faculty Executive Dean in consultation with the Associate Dean (Research). Key members of the Research and Innovation Division (e.g. Directors, Senior Manager, Innovation and Commercialisation) may be invited to attend to discuss or clarify specific issues.
FRC membership will vary with each faculty, but should reflect the scope of research activities within the faculty, including representation of research strengths, as well as faculty strategic research areas. Further, because the FRC has carriage of policies and procedures supporting HDR students enrolled in the faculty, the committee should include appropriate representation of Postgraduate Coordinators (or Heads of Postgraduate Studies (HPS)) across the academic units within the faculty and the faculty’s representative to the TEC.
It is not required that each of the above roles be filled by separate individuals; some individuals may fulfil more than one role (e.g. department heads may be the unit HPS, an Ethics Committee member may also be a Postgraduate Coordinator). With the exception of the HDR student representative, all FRC members should hold academic or research positions at the university.
Role of the Associate Dean (Research) as FRC Chair
The primary URC role of the Faculty Research Committee Chair is to provide the link between faculty’s research interests and URC business. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Development of research policy and procedures
- Providing faculty input in the selection of URC research and research training awards
- Providing faculty feedback on URC research issues
- Advising the DVC (R&I) and Dean of Research on faculty research issues
- Discussing issues concerning research practice and management at university level
As a member of RAC in matters of ranking and allocation of scholarships and grants, the FRC Chair must act in accord with the best interest of the University as a whole, not solely as an advocate for the Faculty. To accomplish these ends, the FRC Chair attends URC meetings, informal meetings and contributes to working parties as necessary.
At the faculty level, the FRC Chair is responsible for:
- Interpreting and disseminating information from RAID and URC policies and procedures and should lead in their faculty-based implementation
- Setting agendas and holding regular meetings of the FRC to advance both URC and Faculty research management
- Play a central role in producing the Faculty Research Plan (with the Executive Dean and key researchers in the faculty) and be proactive in its implementation and in monitoring its outcomes through the FRC
- Reporting to the URC on research activity within the faculty and the use of the URC component of the Faculty research budget
Meetings
The FRC Committee will meet at least four times per year.
Quorum - The Committee shall have a quorum which is equal to one half or, where one half is not a whole number, the whole number next higher to one half of the total number of members of the Committee.
Associate Deans (Research)
- Faculty of Business: A/Professor Melanie Randle, (mrandle@, x4858)
- Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences: Senior Professor Roger Lewis, (roger@, x3518)
- Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts: Senior Professor Simon Ville, (sville@, x3098)
- Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health: Professor Kris French, (kris@, x3655)
- Faculty of Social Sciences: A/Professor Lisa Kervin, (lkervin@, x3968)
- American Institute for Innovative Materials: A/Professor Germanas Peleckis, (peleckis@, x5728)
