Category: <span>Company News</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

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.

Project Officer – Adelaide, Full time

We’re seeking a Project Officer with strong auditing and governance experience to help deliver services that support compliance with ICH-GCP, NHMRC guidelines, and regulatory frameworks. You’ll lead auditing activities, develop quality resources, build relationships with research sites, and drive continuous improvement across our services.

If you’re passionate about strengthening ethical, high-quality research, we’d love to hear from you.

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:

 

 

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

Report highlights international confidence in Australian clinical trials

Global investment in Australian clinical trials is strong, with two thirds of Australian clinical trials, reviewed by Bellberry, funded by international companies according to its 2024 Clinical Trials Activity Report (CTAR).

Bellberry is Australia’s largest ethics and scientific reviewer of research involving humans reviewing approximately 40% of CTN (Clinical Trial Notification) trials in Australia.

Every year since 2019, Bellberry has released its Clinical Trial Activity Report (CTAR) to coincide with International Clinical Trials Day on 20 May. The CTAR describes the portfolio of research conducted in the prior year with Bellberry oversight.

Bellberry’s CEO, Kylie Sproston, says the 2024 data shows that Australia is uniquely placed to attract worldwide investment in clinical trials activity due to the high quality of its healthcare institutions and researchers.

“The 2024 Clinical Trial Activity Report shows that early phase trial activity remains a key strength with significant and continued growth over the last six years,” said Ms Sproston.

“The USA is the largest driver of early phase trials conducted in Australia, with Australia coming second and China third. Other top 10 countries include Germany, South Korea, Switzerland, the UK, Canada, France and Japan,” she said.

“Almost 50 per cent of the trials that Bellberry reviews are First in Human or Phase 1 trials, highlighting Australia’s strong reputation for this skilled and complex type of research.”

In 2024, oncology accounted for more than a quarter of the studies reviewed by Bellberry, while non-clinical trials made up more than 15 per cent of Bellberry reviews.

“Interestingly, we have seen a doubling of the number of social science research activities that Bellberry has reviewed in the last six years from 5% to 10% of total reviews,” said Ms Sproston.

“Australia’s capacity to support the full clinical development pathway is highlighted by the representation of trials in the 2024 CTAR from FIH through to Phase 4, devices, observational, qualitative, social science, registry, audit, and evaluation.”

View our 2024 Clinical Trial Activity Report here

Bellberry is a national, not-for-profit organisation that provides streamlined scientific and ethical reviews of human research established in 2004. It is the 2025 winner of the Championing Health Award in the Telstra Best of Business Awards.

For media queries please contact alisonrogers@bellberry.com.au or on 0488 995 868.

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

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.