Category: <span>Bellberry Community</span>

Are you looking for a meaningful career where your administrative skills and experience have a real impact? Do you want to be part of a forward thinking, not-for-profit organisation that values diversity, collaboration and quality?

We’re looking for dedicated professional individuals who will thrive in a role where their work directly supports the health and wellbeing of others.

If you have strong administration skills, enjoy problem-solving, and take pride in delivering excellent service, we’d love to hear from you.

Join a values driven award winning business and be part of a team that really makes a difference.

Visit SEEK for further details.

In 2004 Bellberry was founded as a paradigm breaker. We are an institutionally independent not-for-profit company that offers Human Research Ethics Committee services.

Today Bellberry provides ethics reviews for more than 40% of the CTN clinical trials taking place in Australia and has re-invested $12 million into the research sector.

In 2024 we celebrated 20 years of Bellberry with a focus on the difference we’ve made since we began. This culminated with Bellberry winning the national Telstra Best of Business award for Championing Health late last year. In this episode of From Lab to Life called ‘Eye on The Prize’ we hear about the impact of Bellberry from some of our valued clients and what’s ahead from our CEO Kylie Sproston.

As of the 1st of January 2025, Bellberry Fees will be updated. The fee incorporates CPI impacts and a the review and ongoing oversight of complex Multi-site clinical trial applications (i.e Tele-health clinical trials).

The fee for review schedule can be found on the Bellberry website.

The distinction between multi-centre and multi-site (also known as a satellite/decentralised site) applications is a common question at Bellberry. We will clarify these terms by providing examples, highlighting their differences, and explaining the associated fee structures.

Whether participating locations under the oversight of a Principal Investigator meet the definition of multi-centre or multi-site are considered by the Bellberry team and reviewing HREC.

Multi-centre applications refer to research studies conducted at multiple locations, each under the oversight of a different Principal Investigator (PI). Each site conducts the study independently within the study framework, requiring distinct ethical oversight and governance processes at each participating location.

In contrast, multi-site (satellite/decentralised) applications involve research conducted across multiple locations under the oversight of a single Principal Investigator (though the study may be conducted at other multi-centre locations).

A multi-site application typically centralises the study’s management, with the PI taking responsibility for the conduct and oversight of the study at the locations affiliated with that application. For instance, in a tele-trial or decentralised model, a primary site may coordinate elements of the research activities across multiple locations while maintaining unified oversight under the same PI.

Studies can also be multi-centre and multi-site as per the image below:

Like multi-centre applications, multi-site applications require administration to ensure robust governance, consistent implementation, and compliance with regulatory and ethical standards across all participating locations. This requires additional resourcing from the HREC and will incur an additional fee from 1 January 2025.

Please note that this will be prospectively introduced and will not impact existing applications, unless an amendment to include a multi-site location is submitted to the HREC for review. Non-clinical trials, such as registries or vendor sites will not incur a fee for multi-site locations.

If you have any queries, please email bellberry@bellberry.com.au

We are delighted to share that Bellberry won the National Telstra Best of Business award in the Championing Health category in Melbourne last night, recognising our impact in the medical research sector.

Initially 22,000 businesses were nominated, with seven chosen as national winners in their categories. We’re thrilled to be one of those seven.

Bellberry CEO Kylie Sproston reflected on the significance of this milestone:

This is great recognition, but it is also about the incredible quality of work that is undertaken more broadly in the Australian research sector. The sector has grown continuously over the last 20 years and was valued at $1.6 billion dollars in 2022.

Bellberry has oversight of more than 40% of Australia’s clinical trials with two thirds of those trials coming from overseas. This is due to the calibre of our clinicians and the reputation of our research ecosystem.

We have achieved this win thanks to the support of all our partners and collaborators.

The medical breakthroughs of the future are only possible because of the volunteers participating in clinical trials today. We couldn’t do our work without them.

Bellberry exists to protect the welfare of research participants and in accepting this award I want to pay tribute to their contribution.

This is the 20^th year that Bellberry has been operating, making this award and the recognition of our role in advancing health innovation globally, even more remarkable.

In her acceptance speech last night Kylie celebrated “the strength and reputation of the Australian medical sector and the amazing Bellberry community including our staff, HREC members, and our Board who are passionate about making a difference”.

HREC meetings are held every Wednesday for the duration of 2025.

Bellberry CEO Kylie Sproston and Communications Manager Alison Rogers, are on their way to Melbourne today in preparation for their final pitch in the Telstra Best of Business Awards!

Bellberry are delighted to have made the Finals in the Championing Health category of the awards.

Congratulations to all the other businesses in the finals and many thanks to Telstra for providing us with this opportunity.

In ‘The Balancing Act’ we meet Professor Andrew Wilson AO, the recently retired Chair of the PBAC.

Andrew is a former Chief Medical Officer of Victoria and has spent his career trying to get the best possible outcomes in public health through our state and federal governments.

For someone focused on evidence based research, engaging in the political system can be a huge challenge.

The Operations Update for October contains useful information including some important updates to the eProtocol HREC application form and the Amendment form. Please read the update for further information:

Operations Update 17

HREC meetings are held every Wednesday for the duration of 2025.

We’re delighted to announce that Dr Marcel Doerflinger of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), was announced as the 2024 Bellberry-Viertel Fellow at the Viertel Symposium last week.

The Bellberry-Viertel Fellowship supports a Senior Medical Research Fellow to receive $1.375 million over five years to support their research. Dr Doerflinger’s work focuses on revolutionising treatment for lung disease, in particular Tuberculosis (TB).  TB remains the deadliest infectious disease worldwide, killing one person every 20 seconds, with drug-resistant strains posing a significant public health threat.

Current TB vaccines offer incomplete protection, and the lengthy, toxic antibiotic treatments required often lead to lead to poor compliance, further fuelling the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).  Without new, innovative treatments, millions of people could die each year from AMR-related infections. Marcel’s research seeks to address this challenge by developing RNA-based therapies that manipulate the body’s own defence mechanisms—specifically, a process known as programmed cell death. Rather than directly targeting bacteria with antibiotics, which can lead to resistance, these therapies focus on enhancing the body’s immune response.  Marcel has recently been appointed as a Lab Head at WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) overseeing the PC3 facility within the Infectious Diseases and Immune Defence Division. His aim is to leverage and expand his foundational work towards novel therapies for high impact infectious diseases.

Congratulations to the two Viertel Senior Medical Research fellowship winners Dr Rhea Longley of WEHI and Dr Luke Isbel of the University of Adelaide and thanks to the Viertel Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board, the Viertel Trustees and Equity Trustees.

Read the Equity Trustees Press Release

Bellberry is committed to being a global leader in research ethics reviews and enhancing health and wellbeing. We’re looking for a Quality Associate to support our mission of delivering excellence in scientific and ethical review services.

In this role, you’ll work closely with the Quality Manager to oversee our Quality Management System (QMS), ensure compliance, and maintain exceptional standards in research ethics.

Ready to make a meaningful impact? Apply today and be part of our team!

Click here for the Position Description or on SEEK below to apply.

We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that Bellberry has been named the South Australian winner in the Championing Health category for the 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards!

Over the past 20 years, Bellberry has been dedicated to continuously improving our services as a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) provider. This award is a testament to the countless individuals who have contributed to our journey, including our exceptional team, our HREC members, and our outstanding Board.

We would like to thank everyone who has partnered with us in our mission to put research participants at the heart of everything we do, enhancing the quality, efficiency, and impact of research.

A big thank you to Telstra for the thorough awards process, and congratulations to all the finalists and winners – we’re honoured to be in such great company!

Telstra Best of Business Award Winners for SA

HREC meetings are held every Wednesday for the duration of 2024

The Bellberry Operations Update features practical information in relation to submissions and reviews, along with insights and updates from all sections of the Bellberry operations team and their respective teams.

If you have any feedback or suggestions on what you would like included in these updates please email bellberry@bellberry.com.au

Operations Update – Edition 16

Bellberry consists of a team of highly professional, innovative and dedicated people who are committed to making a difference within the research community.

Our culture is built on shared values:

• Making a difference
• Working together with integrity and respect
• Professional and Responsive
• Future looking and forward-thinking.

That combination helps our professionals make a difference each day both individually and collectively.

Due to our continued growth we have a number of current vacancies:

• Data Analyst
• Project Manager
• Human Research Ethics Committees Officer

Please visit the SEEK website for further information about any of these roles.