Australian Survey on Legal Issues Facing e-Research

Abstract

The Legal Framework for e-Research Project lead by Professor Brian Fitzgerald and hosted by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is funded by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), formerly Education, Science and Training (DEST), under the Systemic Infrastructure Initiative (SII), Research Information Infrastructure Framework for Australian Higher Education, as part of the Commonwealth Government’s Backing Australia’s Ability – An Innovation Action Plan for the Future (BAA). The Project involves mapping out a sophisticated legal framework for e- Research and collaborative innovation. As we transition into the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS)2 era it is vitally important that social and legal aspects of the e-Research framework are developed in step with the rapid advances in technology. Only little work has been done in this area worldwide. This project is linking with key international actors to provide an internationally significant project. While the Open Access to Knowledge (OAK) Law Project3 aims to examine the role of open access to all in an Internet world, this project also focuses on open innovation within secure knowledge communities – both are vital aspects of the e-Research framework. The critical issue is working out legal models for e-Research that reflect the capacity of the technologies involved and can be implemented quickly, effectively and (in many instances) in an automated way.