Australian university administrators have been accused of deliberately dragging out research fraud investigations to avoid external scrutiny, taking months or even years to resolve cases.

Research integrity campaigner David Vaux said Australian universities had spent years failing to resolve research misconduct allegations that had led to dozens of journal article retractions. This go-slow approach had averted scrutiny from the Australian Research Integrity Committee (Aric), which can only examine cases on request within 12 weeks after universities鈥� internal investigations had formally ended.

Vaux said institutions could take 鈥渁s long as they like鈥� over these investigations. He said university administrators had realised that they could 鈥減revent review by Aric鈥� 鈥� and consequently save face and preserve grant earnings of 鈥渟tar鈥� researchers 鈥� by slowing down investigations, arbitrarily dismissing cases or reclassifying wrongdoing as 鈥渁cademic misconduct鈥�.

鈥淒enying or covering up concerns protects reputations and maintains funding,鈥� Vaux said, in a submission to the Senate Education and Employment Committee鈥檚 university governance inquiry.

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Vaux is former deputy director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and director of听Retraction Watch鈥檚 parent organisation, the Center for Scientific Integrity. He had a 听launched听in his honour by the Australian Academy of Science in 2023. He said research integrity was a 鈥渃ore governance issue鈥� and university leaders who failed to uphold it were failing their staff, students and public.

听Campus spotlight guide: Understanding and protecting academic integrity

听Vaux has long advocated the establishment of a national office or ombudsman for research integrity to bring Australia in line with most European nations, the US, Canada, Japan and China. He said Aric was a poor substitute because it could not consider the merit of research misconduct allegations.

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Its scope was limited to reviewing institutional processes to deal with the allegations, and only if they involved research funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) or Australian Research Council (ARC).

鈥淚ts findings and recommendations are usually kept secret, even from those who requested the review,鈥� the submission says. 鈥淎ric makes recommendations to the CEOs of the ARC or NHMRC, but the CEOs are not obliged to follow Aric鈥檚 recommendations, and not uncommonly, have chosen not to do so.鈥�

His submission cites a 2024 by the federal auditor general鈥檚 office, which found that far from conducting its own fraud investigations, the NHMRC neither oversaw nor gained assurances about investigations conducted by its funding recipients.

The NHMRC said it had subsequently revised its misconduct policy to require recipients to report fraud allegations and ensure that investigations were undertaken by 鈥渟uitably qualified personnel鈥�. An ARC spokesperson said Aric鈥檚 processes were 鈥渄esigned to ensure transparency and accountability, with mechanisms in place to address concerns about timeliness and confidentiality鈥�.听

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Vaux鈥檚 submission cites unresolved allegations of doctored research, some dating back as far as 2009. In involving researchers from UNSW Sydney and Macquarie University, he said there had been no independent investigation of allegations raised in September 2021.

Macquarie said it had conducted an 鈥渋mpartial investigation鈥� of the allegations against its academics, and requested 鈥渃orrective actions鈥� including 鈥渃orrigenda or retractions where appropriate鈥�. UNSW said its initial investigation had uncovered misrepresentations that 鈥渨arranted further investigation鈥� by an independent inquiry panel. 鈥淭he matter is still being investigated and remains confidential.鈥�

In involving the University of Newcastle, Vaux said no action had been taken regarding cancer research concerns raised in June 2024. Newcastle said it was 鈥渞eviewing鈥� the concerns and could not comment 鈥渦ntil the review is complete鈥�.

Vaux鈥檚 submission also cites UNSW鈥檚 , which detail almost 400 allegations between 2021 and 2023. The reports mention no independent investigations, although UNSW submitted to an independent review of its processes.

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john.ross@timeshighereducation.com