Contracts and agreements

Whenever Grampians Health is involved in research that includes any external organisation, a formal agreement is required. For example, the external organisation might be:

  • a sponsor, funder, or coordinating centre;
  • a collaborator in the research; or
  • the employer of a non-GH staff member who will be on the GH site research team.

These agreements protect all parties and ensure compliance with legal and organisational requirements.

But they’re not very difficult to do – there are a number of templates which make it easy, and we’re here to help.

What templates can be used?

GH REGO accepts several standard research agreement templates, including:

  • Victorian Translational Research Centres Research Collaboration Agreement (RCA) template;
  • Medicines Australia Clinical Trial Research Agreement (CTRA) templates (for commercially sponsored or collaborative clinical trials);
  • Other templates may be acceptable depending on the project, and legal advice might be needed.

The correct template depends on the nature of the project and the parties involved. Contact us early so we can advise on the right template and how to complete it correctly.

Who signs the agreement?

Researchers are responsible for liaising with the external organisation and obtaining their partial execution of the final agreement (when confirmed by REGO that the detail of the agreement is acceptable).

Once the external organisation has signed, send the agreement to REGO by attaching it to your SSA application in ERM. We will arrange for the appropriate GH authorised representative to countersign when we are processing your SSA application.

Researchers must not sign on behalf of GH. Only REGO can facilitate the authorised GH signature.

Need help?

We strongly encourage you to contact the Research Ethics and Governance Office as soon as you know an agreement will be required. We can:

  • Confirm which template applies;
  • Provide guidance on completing the agreement correctly;
  • Ensure the process runs smoothly and in compliance with GH policy.

Email: ResearchEthics@gh.org.au
Phone: 03 5320 8661 or 03 5320 8662