Research Newsletter – Issue 64: Information and Updates

Open public consultation on the European Health Data Space (EHDS)

The European Commission have opened a public consultation on the European Health Data Space (EHDS).  Members of the public, stakeholders and organisations are all invited to contribute to the consultation.

The EHDS will promote access to health data for prevention, diagnosis and treatment, research and innovation, as well as for policy-making and legislation. It will place individuals' rights to control their own personal health data at its core. The consultation is open until 26 July 2021.

DCU Research Ethics Committee Updates

DCU REC Meeting Calendar

DCU REC would like to notify researchers that our REC meeting calendar has been revised to accommodate the increased volume of applications the REC is currently receiving. This change will impact submission deadlines for applicants, starting from August 2021, by moving them back one week. Therefore, the August submission deadline has been set for Friday the 6th of August 2021 and we would advise all researchers who are planning to have their applications reviewed during the August REC meeting and onwards, to familiarise themselves with the new REC meeting calendar. If you have any questions regarding the above, please contact rec@dcu.ie. 

Thank you to Dr. Ethna Regan

Dr. Ethna Regan (School of Theology, Philosophy, and Music) has recently stepped down from her role on the committee. DCU REC would like to thank Dr. Ethna Regan for her significant contributions in facilitating the conduct of ethically sound research at DCU, and her overall dedication to the work of the Research Ethics Committee.

Thank you to Gavin Brown

Gavin Brown has also stepped down from his role as post-graduate representative on the committee. DCU REC would like to thank Gavin for his significant contributions in facilitating the conduct of ethically sound research at DCU, and his overall dedication to the work of the Research Ethics Committee.

Newly Appointed REC members

We are delighted to welcome the following new members to the committee:

• Dr. Anne Morrissey (School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering)
• Prof. Gareth Jones (School of Computing)
• Dr. Michael Breen (School of Law and Government)
• Mengting Wang (School of Law and Government - Postgrad Rep)

SFI Financial Policies Updates

SFI have adopted a number of important financial policies’ updates, please see below for further details: 

1. SFI have adopted a new “Financial Reporting Compliance Policy” which is being implemented from May 2021 onwards. The new policy will allow SFI to take action where the reporting on expired awards is not completed on time. SFI has also the right to withhold the final payments due on awards until all reporting is up to date. The SFI Grant terms and Conditions allow SFI to de-commit the final funds owing to a Research Body if the financial and scientific reports are not submitted within the agreed timeframe (typically 90 days).  This possibility is now clearly specified in the new Financial Reporting Compliance Policy.  
2. The SFI Grant Budget Policy has been updated (as of April 2021) and the revised version of the policy can be accessed here .
3. SFI Team Member Salary Scales have also been updated in April 2021. Please see here for details. In relation to the exclusion of Employers pension cost (20%) in the revised salary scales, DCU and the other Irish Universities, through the IUA, are in discussion with DPER, DFHERIS and state funders (specifically SFI) regarding the issue of funding Employers Pension Costs on funded research projects. The current advice from IUA is to exclude the 20% pension funding charge in the salaries of team members. However, a specific wording representing the sectoral approach to this ongoing issue should be included in budget justifications for team members’ salaries in SFI proposals - please contact Dr Katya McDonagh (ecaterina.mcdonagh@dcu.ie) in the Research Support Office for more details on this.