Vision is precious and no one should ever lose the gift of sight: this conviction drives everything we do at the Centre for Eye Research Australia.

We work tirelessly to enable scientific breakthroughs that transform the lives of people with vision loss and blindness.

The aim we share with our subsidiary, Cerulea Clinical Trials, is to prevent vision loss and discover cures that restore sight.

To achieve this, it is vital that our workplace is safe, positive and inclusive, underpinned by our core values of integrity, unity, agility and making a difference.

We all have a role to play in creating this environment – via our individual and collective behaviour.

CERA’s policies and procedures inform this Code of Conduct.

It outlines the ways that we – as CERA staff, students, honorary appointees, and Board members* – can live CERA’s values and make its mission a reality.

*Throughout this Code of Conduct, the term “representatives” refers to all CERA staff, students, honorary appointees and Board directors.

We are accountable and honest in the work we do. Credible, ethical and responsible research is our priority.

This means:

• We always act with honesty, integrity, respect and empathy.
• We do what we say we will.

• We act ethically, lawfully, and are committed to health, safety and security, especially whenever we are:
  • • conducting, sharing and communicating research
    • providing clinical care
    • creating and managing records, primary materials and research data
    • managing personal information
    • using CERA’s equipment and facilities.

• We undertake research with honesty, rigour, transparency, fairness, and respect for clinical research participants and the broader community.
• We use CERA funds appropriately, efficiently and for approved purposes only. This includes philanthropic, industry and government funds. We acknowledge these financial contributions where appropriate.
• We use CERA facilities, equipment, data and information technology responsibly, ethically, lawfully and for approved purposes only.
• We take responsibility for our actions and are committed to reporting and addressing matters that do not align with CERA’s code of conduct, policies, legal or ethical obligations.
• We are committed to conducting research and business activities ethically and with integrity free from bribery, exploitation and corruption.
• We encourage CERA representatives and our community to report concerns and improper conduct or ethical obligations.

We work together for the greater good.

This means:

• We treat everyone with dignity, courtesy and respect.
• We value, respect and use the uniquetalents, abilities, identities, knowledge, cultural background and experiences of CERA representatives and its community.
• We recognise the vulnerability of people with disability, particularly those who experience blindness and low vision. We respect their freedoms, needs and rights, including their right to self‑determination and decision-making.
• We protect CERA representatives and our community from exploitation and modern slavery. We have a particular responsibility to vulnerable communities and people.
• We provide an open, inclusive, supportive, flexible and safe learning and working environment.
• We build strong and supportive relationships – we are appreciative and acknowledge the contributions of our colleagues; we celebrate one another’s successes.
• We support one another and ask for help when we need it.
• We take reasonable, prompt, proportionate action to eliminate discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying, victimisation and vilification.
• We are committed to improving the health and safety of CERA representatives and our community, while eliminating or minimising risks of injury and illness.

We work with ambition, tenacity, innovation and creativity. We are nimble and responsive in the pursuit of excellence.

This means:

• We strive to continuously improve. We champion quality and work efficiently.
• We focus our efforts on activities that will help CERA achieve its vision and strategic priorities.
• We keep up to date with advances in knowledge, technology and ethical and professional standards.
• We seize opportunities for training, growth and development, and reflection. We apply our learnings to our work.
• We are generous in sharing our ideas and learnings with one another, while protecting confidential information and intellectual property
  associated with new discoveries.
• We are respectful and constructive when giving feedback.
• We take complaints, grievances, policy breaches and misconduct seriously. We investigate and act in a fair, effective and timely manner.

We value collaboration and sharing knowledge with each other and our community to make a real difference in the world.

This means:

• We never waver from our goal of saving sight and changing people’s lives for the better.
• We support one another to achieve our collective mission.
• We are committed to gender equality and equity and to removing barrierts to full, equal and equitable participation for people with disabilities.
• We consider our impact on the environment and take steps to reduce our environmental footprint.
• We communicate our research findings and translate them into real‑world outcomes. This can sometimes mean identifying, protecting and
  commercialising intellectual property associated with new discoveries. The goal of our research is making a positive impact on people’s lives.
• We are all CERA ambassadors. We promote CERA’s work, reputation and the importance of eye health and vision research. We make public
  comment in line with relevant policies.
• We are all responsible for upholding CERA’s reputation. We promptly declare and manage any threats to our reputation. We uphold CERA’s values in
  all public forums and external-facing communications, including online communications. We make public comment in line with relevant policies.

CERA’s Privacy Statement and Whistleblower Policy provide more detailed guidance, along with the standards outlined on the Research Integrity pages of this website.

CERA representatives can also seek guidance from policies published on the CERA intranet.

If you are still unsure about how to respond to a particular situation, event or behaviour, ask yourself:

• • It it consistent with our code of conduct?
  • Is it legal?
  • Is it ethical?
  • Does it follow CERA’s policies and procedures?
  • Would I be comfortable if my actions were made public?

If the answer to any of these questions is “no”, you can:

• • raise the matter with senior management, human resources, research integrity advisers, executive or board directors
  • make a report via Whispli – an external platform providing secure two-way communication that can also be anonymous providing protection for whistleblowers.