Research Mainly, Research Only Staff - Best Practice Guidelines
Note: These guidelines refer to staff at the level of Research Fellow and above and Research Associates or Assistants on 11 months or longer appointments, but not to casual Research Assistants.
The Guidelines were approved at Faculty RAGS Meeting 5/05 and SCHD on 26 October 2005.
Background
The number of research mainly/only staff in the Faculty is increasing rapidly with departments/centres being encouraged to attract post doctoral as well as more senior research fellows, and other research mainly/only staff, and the nature of this work is changing as new technologies are taken up. Many of the decisions made about RM/O staff conditions and responsibilities are made at the level of departments and centres, and a survey of all departments and centres undertaken in June 2005 revealed wide variation across the Faculty. The RM/O staff sub-committee identified a need for greater Faculty direction on the level of infrastructure support that departments/centres should provide to these staff, the funding they are eligible for, and the activities they are eligible to attend, and the expectations of their contribution to research, teaching and administration. Further, there has been a lack of clarity around career development for RM/O staff, such as induction, mentoring, performance development and promotion. These guidelines have been developed in response to this need, so that RM/O staff in any department/centre within the Faculty have better information about their entitlements and responsibilities.
As a general principle, RM/O staff should have similar entitlements as other academic (teaching and research) staff, and standard policies like Equal Opportunity and Occupational Health and Safety, should equally apply to them. Departments/Centres should have clear rationales in regard to the entitlements and responsibilities of RM/O staff where these differ from the situation for other academic (teaching and research) staff.
There are standard requirements made by funding bodies, which the University signs when applications for funds are made. These should be considered as minimum standards for RM/O staff.
For ARC-funded research staff, the funding agreement states:
- The university (rather than the ARC) provides such facilities as accommodation, access to computers, and use of photocopiers, telephones, mail, facsimile, email and internet services.
- Fellows are entitled to the same access to infrastructure as applies to other academic staff at the same level within the University.
- ARC funds may not be used for basic facilities (as above).
- The University recognises Fellows as academic staff and incorporates them fully into the activities and academic life of the University.
- Any involvement in additional academic duties, including research supervision, should enhance rather than detract from the Fellow's research.
- If the Fellow is offered a short-term teaching or research position the ARC work may be suspended for the year, but the work to be carried out would need to be closely related to the research for the Fellowship.
In addition to these minimum standards, best practice by departments would include the following.
Infrastructure support
All RM/O staff at the level of Research Fellow and above should have an office (not shared office space), a dedicated computer and telephone, and access to photocopiers, stationery, mail, facsimile, email and internet services.
They should also have the same level of administrative support as other academic staff at equivalent levels.
Departmental/Centre Funding
RM/O staff should be eligible to apply for departmental funding schemes for travel and other expenses not supported by their fellowship/grant.
Heads and Managers of Departments/Centres should give RM/O staff clear information on the net amount of research performance funding that flows from the Faculty to their Department/Centre, associated with their fellowship/grant, on an annual basis. Clear updates of current balances in fellowship/grant accounts should be provided as requested.
RM/O staff should be offered the same level of superannuation as tenured academic staff.
Departmental/Centre Meetings
RM/O staff should be eligible to attend departmental meetings. All those with 0.5 FTE or greater for 11 months or more should have voting rights (where voting applies).
Teaching and administrative duties
For 75/25 (4 year) ARC APDs, the expectation should be that they would carry one-quarter of a normal workload in the department, based on the Department's workload formulae for teaching and supervision for tenured staff.
Some centres have university funded RM/O staff, who are expected to do some teaching as part of their award.
All other externally funded RM/O staff (not on 75/25 positions) should be remunerated for substantial teaching roles, and Heads should bear in mind the last point of the ARC standard requirements. Of course, these staff are often pleased to give a small number of lectures and supervise students in their specialist area, without additional remuneration.
RM/O staff should be able to contribute to administration in departments (committee membership, organising seminars or workshops, etc) but should not be expected to take on major coordination roles.
Career development
Induction should be provided for all RM/O staff, as for other academic staff. Early career RM/O staff should be allocated a mentor in the department (or elsewhere) if they do not have a supervisor.
RM/O staff should be part of the performance development framework, and should have the opportunity to discuss their development needs, including promotion, with their Head. Heads should actively support promotion for RM/O staff as for teaching and research staff.