Vidatum Partners with James Cook University on GECO – the Research Management System for Grants, Ethics and SOP’s, Contracts, and Outputs

In November 2024, Vidatum successfully completed the implementation and launch of GECO, James Cook University’s (JCU) dedicated Research Management System for Grants, Ethics and SOP’s, Contracts, and Outputs, serving its campuses in both Australia and Singapore.

The collaboration aimed to streamline research administration and enhance efficiency across JCU’s operations. With a focus on redesigning workflows and processes, JCU sought to implement a new Research Information Management System (RIMS) that would seamlessly manage research activities and support comprehensive reporting and collaboration across its campuses.

The fully configured GECO system integrates essential functionalities, including:

• Research Grants Management

• Research Outputs Management

• Researcher Profiles

• Research Ethics Management and SOP’s

• In-System Research Reporting

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Implementation Timeline and Approach

The implementation began in July 2023 and was fully delivered by November 2024. Vidatum adopted a phased rollout to ensure each module met JCU’s requirements:

1. Grants Module: Established first to support research funding applications, agreements, and contracts.
2. Profiles and Public Portal: Integrated research data and made it publicly accessible.
3. Ethics Review Module and SOPs: Tailored to support JCU’s ethics review and compliance processes.

Grants Management Module

The Grants module manages JCU’s research funding applications and agreements for both Australia and Singapore. Key features include:

• A costing and budgeting tool tailored to JCU’s processes.
• Custom workflows for approvals and monitoring via in-built tools.
• Specific configurations for budgeting, contacts, and workflows to accommodate JCU’s unique research projects and administrative needs.

Profiles Module

The Profiles module integrates with multiple data sources, including ORCID, Web of Science (WoS), and JCU’s repository (ePrints platform, branded as ResearchOnline), to capture a comprehensive view of researcher activities:

1. Professional Information: allows showcasing of service, engagement and professional contributions such as awards, community outreach, industry engagements, and media mentions.
2. Teaching Activities: Integrated with the Student Management System, capturing teaching profiles, subjects taught, and supervision of students.
3. Research Activities: Linked to the Grants module, showcasing ongoing research projects and collaborations.

The system also enables researchers to claim and manage their publications and outputs, integrating these into their academic profiles. Through Vidatum’s tools, researchers can curate custom CVs and control what is displayed on their public profiles, which are accessible via the public-facing portal (https://portfolio.jcu.edu.au).

Ethics Review Module

The Ethics module supports both Human and Animal Ethics applications, incorporating customized forms and approval workflows aligned with JCU’s review processes. Configurations were made to ensure compliance with national regulations, particularly for animal research and reporting requirements.

SOPs Module

A unique addition for JCU, the SOPs module allows researchers to apply for Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) approvals. Approved SOPs are searchable within the system, streamlining their inclusion in Ethics applications. Given its success at JCU, we are excited to announce that this feature will be incorporated into Vidatum’s upcoming version, making it available to our broader client base.