Outputs, outcomes and impacts arising from the HRB's 2000-09 grants portfolio

This report presents an analysis of the key outputs, outcomes and impacts that have arisen to date from HRB research grants awarded in the period from 2000 to 2009. Throughout this ten year period, the HRB broadened its investment beyond biomedical research towards a greater emphasis on clinical research, population health sciences and health services research, such that taking the period as a whole, biomedical research accounted for only 54% of all HRB funding commitments.

The conceptual assessment framework for the analysis was based on the categories of the Buxton and Hanney Payback Framework, which the HRB has used to assess the impact of its funded research since 2008. Briefly, the framework captures scientific outputs and outcomes (e.g. peer-reviewed publications, PhD graduates), but also health-oriented outcomes (e.g. policy and practice outcomes, new treatments and interventions), and enterprise and economic benefits (e.g. research commercialisation, non-Exchequer funding leveraged). The analysis presented in this report was based on data from an online survey of grant-holders via the HRB Grant Outcomes Tracker system, as well as information collated and verified from other sources such as end-of-grant reports, media stories, international patent databases, the ‘Picture of Health’ series, and previous HRB evaluation studies.