• Section 1 - Purpose
• Section 2 - Application and Scope
• Section 3 - Principles
• Section 4 - Criteria and Considerations for Defining Minimum Research Activity
• Section 5 - Local Research Active Definitions -Development/Amendment
• Section 6 - Local Research Active Definitions - Approval/Amendment
• Section 7 - Local Research Active Definitions - Review
• Section 8 - Roles and Responsibilities
• Staff
• Committees
• Business Units
• Section 9 - Definitions

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) The purpose of this Policy is to:

1. specify the criteria and considerations that must be used to define the minimum levels of research activity by academic staff as a condition of their employment by the University of Wollongong (the University);
2. outline the processes by which academic staff research activity is measured, reviewed, and managed;
3. specify the process for the development and approval of minimum research definitions; and
4. describe the options if an academic staff member does not meet the minimum requirements for research activity.

Section 2 - Application and Scope

(2) This Policy applies to all continuing and fixed term academic staff employed by the University with a research component in their position description.

(3) This Policy operates and interacts in conjunction with a range of key University processes and plays a role in:

1. workload management; and
2. performance enhancement and career development.

(4) This Policy should be read, and applied in conjunction with the:

1. Academic Staff Position Classification Policy and associated procedures;
2. Academic Performance Framework and Guidelines and associated procedures;
3. Career Development Interview and Record Guideline; and
4. University of Wollongong (Academic Staff) Enterprise Agreement, 2023.

(5) Local research active definitions must be submitted to the University Research Committee (URC) within three (3) months of this Policy taking effect.

(6) The assessment of an individual staff member’s research activity must take into account the current local research active definition and, where relevant, the previous definition.

Section 3 - Principles

(7) Research is:

1. a core business of the University; and
2. a key requirement of academic staff with a research component in their position description, as per clause 30.3.1 of the University of Wollongong (Academic Staff) Enterprise Agreement, 2023.

(8) All academic staff must meet the defined minimum level of research activity, as defined by their local research active definition.

(9) Staff who do not meet the minimum requirements of research activity will be managed in accordance with the appropriate Enterprise Agreement and policy framework, which may result in:

1. the development of a planning and improvement performance plan (through the performance enhancement and career development process);
2. a requirement to fulfil other duties appropriate to the role and classification (such as an increased teaching or governance allocation);
3. other performance management/performance improvement processes; and/or
4. a reclassification of the staff member’s position.

(10) A single University-wide measure to define all minimum research activity is neither practical nor equitable. Accordingly:

1. local research active definitions are developed and defined by each School; and
2. local research active definitions are classified as Local Protocols in accordance with the Policy Management Policy (see section 4 for details).

(11) Research expectations and frameworks should support the growth and development of researchers at all career stages, especially early career researchers.

(12) The following principles apply in defining minimum research requirements:

1. minimum requirements for research activity should be informed by discipline norms and the University’s research strategy and priorities;
2. the workload, effort and expertise needed to fulfil the minimum requirements should be equitable across the University;
3. the workload to fulfil the minimum standard should reflect the fractional research load allocation and be pro-rata for fractional appointees;
4. consideration must be given to the circumstances and expectations of each discipline (e.g., the research outputs and measures differ between citation based and peer-review based disciplines); and
5. the minimum requirement for research activity must include the criteria and considerations specified in section 4.

Section 4 - Criteria and Considerations for Defining Minimum Research Activity

(13) Local research active definitions for minimum research activity must include aggregated requirements for:

1. research outputs and impact;
2. on time HDR supervision completions; and
3. HERDC reportable funding and/or consultancy income attracted.

(14) Other factors (such as leadership, qualitative measures, cross faculty inputs, non-traditional research outputs, collaboration) may be incorporated into local research active definitions.

(15) The reference period should:

1. be applied relative to opportunity; and
2. typically be three (3) years, up to a maximum of five (5) years (depending on the criteria and circumstances).

(16) The calculation for research activity must be consistent with the Academic Performance Framework, and include consideration for the individual staff member’s:

1. allocated research loading (with an expectation proportional to the loading);
2. actual fractional workload (with an expectation proportional to loading);
3. Academic Performance Framework classification level (with an expectation increasing with seniority); and
4. individual circumstances (such as, but not limited to, the impact of leave, illness or secondment).

Section 5 - Local Research Active Definitions -Development/Amendment

(17) Local research active definitions must be developed at least at a School level, noting that some schools may require multiple local research active definitions due to a diversity of disciplines.

Section 6 - Local Research Active Definitions - Approval/Amendment

(18) The development/amendment of local research active definitions must include the following steps:

1. initial consultation and drafting by Heads of School/Research Entity Director, which should include input from:
   1. affected academic staff;
   2. the Faculty Research Committee;
   3. the Research Services; and
   4. Academic Governance and Standards;
2. initial endorsement by relevant Deputy Dean (Research) and the option for endorsement by the relevant Executive Dean; 
3. endorsement by the Faculty Workload Reference Group. (If the Faculty Workload Reference Group is unable to reach an agreement, the University Workload Committee may be consulted);
4. endorsement by Executive Dean of the relevant faculty;
5. endorsement by University Research Committee; and
6. approval by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation).

Section 7 - Local Research Active Definitions - Review

(19) Local research active definitions should be reviewed:

1. at a high level annually; and
2. comprehensively at least every five (5) years.

Section 8 - Roles and Responsibilities

Staff

(20) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) is responsible for:

1. overseeing and enacting this Policy; and
2. approving local research definitions on the recommendation of the University Research Committee.

(21) Executive Deans are responsible for:

1. managing all aspects of this Policy within their faculty;
2. determining the level at which local definitions are applied; and
3. endorsing local definitions for their faculty.

(22) Heads of School/Heads of Disciplines are responsible for:

1. developing and managing local research active definitions; and
2. working with supervising staff to ensure that this Policy is followed.

(23) Deputy Deans Research are responsible for:

1. developing and monitoring the implementation of local research active definitions in conjunction with Heads of School/Research Entity Directors.

(24) Supervising staff are responsible for:

1. monitoring the research active status of staff;
2. meeting at least annually (typically as part of the CDI process) with each of their relevant staff to discuss:
   1. review of previous year’s/years’ research activity and current status;
   2. future research activity plans/goals; and
   3. (if required) the steps to address non-conformance with research active status, such as:
      1. reallocation of workload;
      2. performance management process; and/or
      3. other appropriate training and support.

(25) Academic staff are responsible for:

1. meeting their requirements of research activity; and
2. taking early and proactive corrective action if they are not meeting research active requirements.

Committees

(26) The University Research Committee is responsible for:

1. providing oversight across the University to ensure appropriate and equitable research active definitions; and
2. endorsing local research active definitions.

(27) Faculty Research Committees are responsible for:

1. supporting the development of local research active definitions.

(28) Faculty Academic Workload Reference Groups are responsible for:

1. representing staff concerns;
2. consulting with Head of School in developing local definitions; and
3. endorsing the local research active definitions.
4. the University Workload Committee is responsible for reviewing local research active definitions if a Faculty Academic Workload Reference Group is unable to endorse a local definition.

Business Units

(29) the Academic Governance and Standards is responsible for:

1. providing guidance and advice in relation to alignment with the Academic Performance Framework.

(30) Library are responsible for:

1. providing strategic publishing guidance to the academic community; and/or
2. providing expertise in the use and application of qualitative and quantitative measures of esteem and quality of publication outputs and outlets.

(31) The People and Culture Division is responsible for:

1. overseeing the CDI process, including appropriate support and resources for the CDI process.

(32) The Research Services is responsible for:

1. managing and distributing reporting data sets; and
2. supporting Heads of School/Research Entity Directors in developing local research activity definitions; and
3. managing and reviewing this Policy.

Section 9 - Definitions