Category: <span>Bellberry Community</span>

We’re proud to share Bellberry’s 2025 Impact Report – our first report bringing together key insights, data and achievements from the past year.

Our stories from 2025 highlight how we continue to support ethical research and promote best practice across the sector, while giving back to the medical research community.

This report reflects the collective efforts of the Bellberry community and our ongoing commitment to protecting research participants and strengthening research quality.

Download the full report below to learn more about our impact

The Bellberry office will be closed for the Easter break on Friday 3 April and Monday 6 April.

Reopening at 9am on Tuesday 7 April.

Have a safe Easter break.

The Bellberry Team

When a potential new medicine is tested on humans for the first time it is a milestone. It is thoroughly tested for safety before reaching this stage.

Often, it’s tested on animals, but increasingly New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) are being used (previously known as Non-Animal Models). NAMs are non-animal or reduced-animal scientific methods used to evaluate the safety and efficacy of drugs. These alternative technologies can include in-vitro human models (such as organoids and organ-on-a-chip) and in-silico (computer-based) modelling.

Australia’s largest provider of Human Research Ethics Committee services, Bellberry, and ASCEPT (Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists & Toxicologists) have been working together to develop robust guidance for the use of NAMs.

Two workshops have been held with international and Australian experts over the last two years.

Following the last workshop, Alison Rogers spoke with three leaders in the field to find out more about this growing alternative technology to kick off the 2026 season of From Lab to Life.

Welcome to our newsletter for summer 2025.

The Bell contains a roundup of the activities Bellberry has been involved with in the last few months, including awarding our Bellberry-Viertel Senior Medical Researcher, CT:IQ activities, Thought Leadership series update, our office relocation and more.

If you have any feedback on our newsletter or any suggestions on what to include in our next edition please email bellberry@bellberry.com.au

Bellberry Newsletter Summer 2025

Our end of year meeting and submission dates are as follows:

The Bellberry office will be closed from COB Wed 24 December until 9am Mon 5 January.

Last month at the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Gala Dinner in Canberra our new Bellberry-Viertel Fellow was announced!

Congratulations to Associate Professor ZongYuan 宗元 Ge 戈 of Monash University who is a medical AI specialist.

ZongYuan 宗元 Ge 戈 will use the five-year Fellowship to develop Australia’s first AI Unified Phenotype Foundation model for diagnosis, prognosis and discovery in healthcare.

Congratulations to the other two Viertel Fellows Dr Joanna Achinger-Kawecka and Dr Dustin Flanagan.

The Sylvia and Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation has awarded 70 Fellowships over 30 years and as a not-for-profit provider of Human Research Ethics Committee services, Bellberry is proud to be working with the Foundation and Equity Trustees to provide the third Fellowship.

Our end of year meeting and submission dates are as follows:

The Bellberry office will be closed from COB Wed 24 December until 9am Mon 5 January.

In the September issue of our Operations Update please find articles on:

 

 

As Australia’s largest provider of Human Research Ethics Committee services, Bellberry places great value on understanding the experience our users have of our services.  Every two years we invite our users to share their feedback through our User Satisfaction Survey. It’s part of our goal to continuously improve what we do.

Your feedback helps us celebrate what we’re doing well and highlight where we can improve.

The survey plays a vital role in strengthening our commitment to Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP)’s quality improvement standards and ensuring we continue to deliver the highest quality of service in research ethics review.

If you are an investigator, researcher or staff member in a CRO or sponsor that uses Bellberry, we’d love to hear for you.

The survey closes on Friday 3 October 2025.

Today, September 25, we celebrate International Research Administrators Day!

This globally recognised day honours the contribution of Research Administrators in supporting and advancing research.

Bellberry marked the occasion with a morning tea, a chance to come together and applaud the role our Operations team plays in our organisation’s contribution and impact. Their expertise and dedication underpin every application we review, ensuring researchers receive the highest level of support across an extraordinary breadth of projects.

Over the past 21 years, Bellberry has supported more than 2,000 researchers, reviewing over 11,000 projects across 7,000 research sites nationwide. This is a remarkable legacy that demonstrates both the scale and depth of our impact on the Australian research sector.

So let’s celebrate today because it is your individual contributions that make this research, and this impact, possible!

We are pleased to release the summary report from the Bellberry & ASCEPT New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) Introductory Workshop, held in Melbourne, 30 Nov 2024.

The report captures insights from regulators, ethicists, researchers, and industry leaders on how Australia can support the responsible use of NAMs to reduce reliance on animal models, improve translational outcomes, and support the transition into first-in-human and early clinical trials.

It outlines:

To download the full report please visit our website here

On May 20, 2025, the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA) hosted its annual Trial of the Year Awards, coinciding with International Clinical Trials Day. The event celebrated Australia’s  most impactful investigator-led clinical trials, highlighting their contributions to healthcare innovation and patient outcomes.

The 2025 ACTA Trial of the Year Award was awarded to the PLUSS trial, recognising a groundbreaking study that could transform care for extremely preterm infants.

Led by Professor Brett Manley and conducted under the IMPACT Network, the trial investigated whether giving intra-tracheal budesonide with surfactant could reduce the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)—a serious lung condition in premature babies. Conducted across 21 hospitals in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Canada, the study enrolled over 1,000 infants and showed promising results.

Read more about the awards on the ACTA website.

Worldwide there is growing focus on using NAMs (Non-Animal Models also known as Novel Approach Methods) in the development of therapeutics. In other words, removing animals from pre-clinical testing.

In this episode of From Lab to Life, we take you to a symposium hosted by Bellberry and ASCEPT (Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists) held late in 2024.

Regulators, ethicists, researchers and industry gathered to discuss shaping a nationally coordinated approach – find out more in “All About NAMs”.

Bellberry is delighted to share details of our grant program to support participant engagement at scientific meetings.

Conference organisers can apply to Bellberry for funding to create and/or enhance participant-centric programs to enable the participant voice to be represented and heard at their meetings. The program will make a real difference with the ultimate aim of improving research by embracing participant perspectives.

For further information on the program, or to make an application please visit our website

The deadline for applications is 8 April 2025. Completed applications should be submitted by the deadline to grants@bellberry.com.au.

Bellberry is a team of dedicated professionals who are passionate about making a difference in the research community.

Our culture is built on shared values:

We currently have exciting career opportunities across three different positions!

Whether you’re an experienced professional looking for your next challenge or someone passionate about contributing to meaningful projects, Bellberry offers an environment where your skills and ideas can thrive.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your career with an award winning values driven organisation, explore our current opportunities and become part of a team that creates real impact every day!

Full details of all our job opportunities are available on SEEK