CQUniversity is helping lead a project which will help researchers located throughout Australia and even overseas collaborate on participant based research projects involving multiple participants, all within a secure, ethical environment.

Known as 'Quadrant', the cloud-based research project management and data collection tool is being designed for researchers in fields including health, humanities, sociology, psychology, criminology, education and anthropology.

Hamish Holewa and the Quadrant and NeCTAR logos. LINK for a larger image

The Quadrant research tool is being developed by CQUniversity, Griffith University and the Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation (QCIF). It will be deployed via the National eResearch Collaboration Tools and Resources (NeCTAR) research cloud.

Quadrant Director Hamish Holewa says the new tool is in a trial release phase and undergoing development to make it available to researchers across Australia..

"This new tool addresses the challenges faced by individual researchers and teams managing modern research projects, including those with broad scope, multiple methodologies and diverse data collection sites," Mr Holewa said.

"Quadrant will provide a central, easy-to-use, secure and collaborative environment to enable all research project team members to streamline their research work-flow and simultaneously collect, store and share research data within the cloud.

"Quadrant makes it easy to collect, view and track the progress of research data at all points throughout the project. It creates efficiency in the research process by removing task duplication associated with using email, spreadsheets, USB or network drives to share files and track research project process."

Quadrant is currently in invitation trial release. Researchers wishing to use Quadrant are encouraged to contact Mr Hamish Holewa h.holewa@cqu.edu.au or +3296 1183 or 04 000 27 653.

Quadrant  is supported by the National eResearch Tools and Resources Project (NeCTAR), an initiative of the Commonwealth being conducted as part of the Super Science Initiative and financed from the Education Investment Fund, Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. The University of Melbourne is the lead agent for the delivery of the NeCTAR project and the Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation (QCIF) is Sub-contractor for the NeCTAR Quadrant Research Tool.