26 November 2025
As HTQ’s Research Integrity Collaborative Group becomes a statewide Community of Practice (CoP), its past and future chairs reflect on how the journey began, why now is the right time to transition to a statewide CoP, and what the future holds.
Identifying a gap in research integrity
Metro South HREC Chair Sonia Hancock helped establish and grow this collaborative group during her time as Chair of the HTQ Human Research Ethics and Governance Collaborative Group (HTQ HREG).
“We created the HTQ Research Integrity Collaborative Group in 2022 initially as a subgroup of the HTQ HREG,” Ms Hancock explained.
“While ethics and governance processes were well established in the state’s health and medical research ecosystem, there was no coordinated mechanism to support researchers, research integrity advisors and institutions in proactively addressing integrity issues and promoting best practice beyond formal compliance.”
Connecting the relevant stakeholders
Ms Hancock said one of the most significant challenges for this collaborative group was identifying the contact people at each organisation.
“We decided to assemble the group through an open-door policy using word of mouth to enable the community to connect,” Ms Hancock said.
“This policy meant that, over time, the HTQ Research Integrity Collaborative Group was organically maturing into the Queensland community of practice as non-HTQ partner organisation representatives sought inclusion.”
Creating opportunities for open and constructive conversations
Ms Hancock explained that by creating a welcoming, inclusive space for open, constructive conversations, the group expanded its collaborative network and impact.
“The development and sharing of tools and resources, like the Maturity Assessment Model and Research Integrity Training modules, provided opportunities for open dialogue and recognition that a community of practice is in existence, and it was time for it to form in a supported manner,” Ms Hancock said.
Time for a statewide Community of Practice (CoP)
The current Research Integrity Collaborative Group Chairs are Mater Research’s Manager of Research Quality and Integrity, Dr Richa Dave, and QIMR Berghofer Research Integrity Officer, Dr Cheryl-Lynn Ong.
They reinforced the need for a statewide CoP as Queensland’s health and medical research system becomes increasingly interconnected and public scrutiny intensifies after misconduct cases.
“A statewide CoP offers a trusted, collaborative space for ethics, integrity, and governance professionals to share strategies, ensure consistent interpretation of policies, support advisors, and strengthen training across institutions,” Dr Dave said.
“Through this CoP, we can harmonise approaches, encourage faster knowledge exchange and problem-solving, reduce duplication through shared resources, and collectively influence policy and culture.”
The CoP’s early priorities
Dr Ong explained the CoP’s priorities in its first year, aside from building a connected, engaged and informed network, is to develop and deliver shared training and resources to strengthen capability and support consistency across institutions.
“We plan to host webinars, workshops, and peer discussions to explore issues, share knowledge, and co-design strategies,” Dr Ong said.
“The CoP will also need to set up a governance and operating model to guide implementation and ensure alignment across the community.”
Future impact
If they could fast-forward 5 years, the Research Integrity Collaborative Group’s Chairs would like to see an open, transparent, collaborative research integrity ecosystem.
“The ecosystem would have harmonised practices, skilled advisors, shared digital resources,” Dr Ong said.
Dr Dave added that Queensland would also see demonstrable improvements in quality, institutional capability and public trust in research.
“To build this future, we will need consistent interpretation of codes, policies and frameworks across Queensland, standardised procedures for managing integrity issues, training, and diverse and inclusive participation in the CoP,” Dr Dave said.
For more information about the Research Integrity Collaborative Group, including contact details for its current Chairs, please visit the HTQ web page.
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