Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR) - eUpdate #1 - March 2011

We are pleased to forward for the information of all SIA members the following ISCRR eUpdate.

FROM THE CEO (Professor Niki Ellis FSIA (Hon))
Welcome to the first Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR) e-Update. You have been sent this information because you are included in our Think Tank, a community of researchers, policy makers and their stakeholders, who share an interest in quality research informing policy and practice.

It has been estimated that only ten per cent of health research is implemented. Implementation science is a new field which aims to change that. It recognises that the worlds of research and policy making are far apart and aims to bridge the gap. One of the early lessons is to involve end-users of research in defining research questions. ISCRR has done just that. As 2011 begins, ISCRR is in the final stages of developing its five-year strategy for health and safety, compensation and recovery research.

The starting point for the strategy was to define policy problems for which deeper knowledge was considered crucial.  The criteria we used to prioritise the problems were:

• Relevant - the policy issue is of high relevance to industry partners and aligned with their long-term key performance objectives.
• Actionable - the potential for research outputs to lead to policy development, improved scheme administration and/or effective prevention.
• Impact - the potential impact of the research on industry partners, their stakeholders and clients.
• Research excellence - the potential to contribute to the international pool of knowledge in the personal injury field and to demonstrate excellence in industry-led research.

The research strategy has been informed by extensive consultation and also by our 2010 Futures Initiative, which was run through ISCRR's Think Tank. We are starting to release outputs from the initiative and our new interactive website will support Think Tank activities.

I look forward to keeping you up to date with the latest news as we continue to develop our online presence and importantly, turn research into action.

FIVE-YEAR RESEARCH STRATEGY
ISCRR is currently in process of finalising its five-year research strategy to guide the Institute's program to 2015.

The strategy has provided an opportunity to identify the domains of research in which the Institute can have the greatest impact and assist our industry and research partner organisations achieve their goals.

Presently the strategy is moving through a process of consultation and will shortly be presented to the ISCRR Board and the Boards of our industry partners for approval in April 2011.

SAFETY, COMPENSATION AND RECOVERY IN 2035
As part of Futures Initiative, ISCRR worked with the Monash e-Research Centre and IT Department. Data text mining was used to search for information about trends, visions and critiques of the current state in safety and health, compensation and recovery research.

Initially, nearly one million articles were identified from the technical literature and more broadly, from the arts, general media, and blogs and futures websites. A manual search was run alongside the automated assisted search.

Following this literature review, an annotated bibliography was produced to identify the most important trends and issues that would shape possible, plausible and probable futures of safety, compensation and recovery.

ISCRR would like to thank Professor Geoff Webb, Research Professor, Faculty of Information Technology, and Monash University and research assistant Jane Reid for their work on this project.

The annotated bibliography is available on our website.

NEW RESEARCH TO EXAMINE WORK SAFETY AND RECOVERY FROM INJURY
ISCRR has announced the recipients of its inaugural Development Grants.

ISCRR is distributing funding to the tune of $140,000 to three Victorian researchers - two based at Monash University and one at La Trobe University - who are undertaking four different studies.

Their research will assist ISCRR's industry partners - WorkSafe Victoria and the Transport Accident Commission - by providing new evidence on how to reduce harm in the workplace and ensure optimal recovery from injury at work or on the roads.

To view more information about the research funded by our 2011 grants visit the ISCRR website.

Regards
Gary Lawson-Smith
Chief Executive Officer
Safety Institute of Australia Ltd.