The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is committed to ensuring that NHMRC-funded research is of the highest quality. In May 2019, the NHMRC commissioned ORIMA Research to conduct a survey on its behalf in relation to the research culture in Australian NHMRC-funded institutions.

The survey aimed to better understand:

• the relevance of globally identified drivers, enablers and barriers to excellence in research quality in NHMRC-funded institutions;
• the views and experiences of individuals who are responsible for research conduct and quality in NHMRC-funded institutions;
• major pressures and environmental issues around research quality in NHMRC-funded institutions; and
• opportunities for change and innovation in the industry

The target groups for the survey were research students; senior, mid-career and junior researchers; institutional representatives; and ethics committee members (Human Research Ethics Committees and Animal Ethics Committees).

Key messages:

• Attitudes are largely supportive of discussing and improving research practices
• Most institutions and research groups have or are developing policies and procedures to support high quality research
• The institutional environment is important for encouraging high-quality research
• Researchers face a range of pressures that can have negative effects on research quality
• Ethics committees receive information relevant to research quality
• Researchers, institutions and funders all have an important role to play in improving research quality