TYPE OF SUPPORT
Research Background
Southern Cross University (SCU) recognised the increasing requirements from funders, publishers, and regulators for robust research data management practices. Researchers were facing duplicated processes, with information spread across multiple systems such as grant applications, ethics approvals, and researcher profiles.
SCU sought a solution that would reduce administrative burden on researchers, improve oversight, and provide a flexible, scalable platform aligned to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles.
To evaluate its effectiveness, SCU partnered with QCIF to undertake a three-month pilot of the ReDBox Research Data Management Plan (RDMP) System.
QCIF Role
QCIF worked closely with SCU during the pilot to:
Deploy ReDBox in a secure, hosted environment tailored to SCU’s research landscape
Customise system workflows to align with SCU’s policies, research office requirements, and governance frameworks
Integrate ReDBox with existing sources of truth, including grant funding systems, ethics approval workflows, and researcher profile databases, to minimise double entry of information
Automate communications, enabling notifications to be sent to researchers, administrators, and approvers as Research Data Plans move through their lifecycle, from creation, through review and approval, to active management
Provide training and support for researchers, administrators, and IT staff to ensure effective adoption across the institution
Collaborate on future planning, demonstrating the flexibility of the ReDBox API for deeper integration with SCU’s internal systems.
Research Outcome & Impact
Following the success of the pilot, SCU committed to ReDBox as an ongoing subscriber. The deployment has delivered:
Streamlined Researcher Experience: ReDBox reduces administrative overhead by pulling information from existing institutional systems, allowing researchers to focus more on their projects
Improved Governance and Compliance: Research Data Plans now move through a transparent, structured approval process, ensuring alignment with institutional, funder, and regulatory requirements
Enhanced Communication: Stakeholders are automatically informed at key lifecycle stages, reducing delays in review and approval processes
Future Flexibility: SCU has positioned itself to take advantage of deeper integrations via the Redbox API, ensuring the platform evolves alongside institutional needs
Strategic Capability Building: Adoption of ReDBox demonstrates SCU’s commitment to embedding best-practice data management into its research culture.
I am really pleased that SCU have decided to continue on post the pilot deployment. It shows SCU’s commitment to utilising ReDBox as part of their strategy for developing capability within research.
Troy Locket, Executive Manager, QCIF Enterprise Solutions
