The role of the Research Committee is to:

• review the strategic plan of NAL research once each year and report to the Board
• determine that the projects to be undertaken are in line with the role of Hearing Australia as described in the AHS Act and any broad strategic directions for NAL that are in place at anytime

For NAL projects that receive funding from the Department of Health (Health), the Committee will undertake tasks set out in the Memorandum of Agreement in relation to the funding of Research and Development into Hearing Health, Rehabilitation and Prevention between Health and Hearing Australia represented by NAL (Agreement), to ensure:

• that NAL’s activities are consistent with the terms of the Agreement
• alignment between the aim of each project undertaken by NAL and the objectives of the Australian Government’s Hearing Services Program by endeavouring to confirm that each project:
  - has the potential for national application
  ​- provides practical and sustainable benefits
  - has methodological merit, and where appropriate, be peer reviewed
  - is cost effective
  - can be directly translatable into practice and/or provide knowledge that has the potential to guide future research and development impacting on practice.
• ​monitor and review the performance, progress and expenditure of projects against the above listed criteria and ensure that any changes to the direction and/or scope of a project do not compromise synergy with the objectives of the Hearing Services Program
• ​manage the quality of the research through a review process which may be conducted by members of the Committee and/or involve audiological or other scientific peer review external to the Committee
• consider whether to endorse any reports as requested by Health prior to NAL formally submitting them
• take a proactive, high level role in project selection, evaluation, resource allocation and balance of type of outcomes to be achieved (i.e. basic research versus applied research versus development and community benefit versus commercial return) and the intellectual property rights strategy
• take a proactive, high level role in:
  - identifying and advising on risk at all levels (organisational and project) around research and development at NAL
  - providing oversight to ensure that all risks are effectively mitigated and managed by NAL.
• ​be interactive, and apply scrutiny and guidance at a strategic level including review of project progress reports at each meeting
• assess significant changes to projects in line with strong governance, structure and reporting/evaluation mechanisms, including oversight of variations to individual project budgets/allocations
• monitor the development, ownership, protection and commercialisation of intellectual property created by NAL.

Attendance of Directors and Members at Research Committee Meetings​

* Mr Keogh was appointed as a Special Purpose Director for a six month term effective September 2018 and was reappointed 2 April 2019 until such time as the special purpose specified in the instrument of appointment is complete.
** Mr Terrell was appointed Managing Director 1 September 2018. Prior to this time he attended meetings as the Acting Managing Director.
*** Voting rights are granted to an authorised representative of the Department of Health on matters related to projects funded by the Department of Health under the Memorandum of Agreement.