Gaining insights into a funding portfolio through publication tracking

TL;DR

This paper explains how the UK's NIHR tracks research impact through publications and citations to understand how funded research influences health and policy outcomes.

Contribution

A novel method for mapping research impact pathways using citation analysis and infrastructure reporting to evaluate translational research outcomes.

Findings

NIHR infrastructure supported 327 out of 6,361 REF impact case studies, with 59 supported by multiple schemes.

Citation analysis revealed impact in priority areas like reducing health inequalities and digital health.

The method helps identify research movement and gaps within funding portfolios.

Abstract

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the UK’s biggest funder for health and social care research, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The NIHR infrastructure provides research expertise, specialist facilities, a research delivery workforce and support services, all of which help to support and deliver the research we fund, and research funded by others. The NIHR is committed to maximising the impact of the research we support and fund

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and therefore, it is crucial for the organisation to understand the mechanisms for the movement of research between these different pieces of translational research infrastructure and pathways to impact on the health and wealth of the nation. The aim of this article is to share our approach to developing an understanding of pathways to impact, enablers and barriers and lessons learnt.

We used publications reported to us by our infrastructure as receiving infrastructure support and forward and backward citation analysis to trace infrastructure support for REF 2021 impact case studies and research that has had an impact on policy. We used these data to develop impact case studies for NIHR infrastructure.

Of the 6,361 REF impact case studies that are publicly available, the NIHR infrastructure has supported 327 of which 59 are supported by more than one scheme. Through our forward and backward citation analysis we have also developed impact case studies in the following NIHR priority areas:

Reducing health inequalities

Digital health

Artificial intelligence

Workforce resilience

The use of forward and backward citation analysis can also help research funders to understand how research is moving between different parts of their funding portfolios, pathways to impact and any gaps and opportunities. However, this comes with some challenges which need mitigation.

The National Institute of Health and Care research (NIHR) is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. It funds a £600M/year portoflio of infrastructure which provided support and a delivery workforce for experimental and clinical research in England. NIHR infrastructure report to the NIHR on an annual basis and one of the reporting requirements is a list of research publications that have been supported by the infrastructure. Using these it is possible to trace which research publications have either been cited by NIHR infrastructure supported research publications and which research publications cite NIHR infrastructure supported publications. This helps the NIHR to understand what types of research and within its portfolio and how the research moves within the health and care ecosystem to have an impact on the real world. This is important for the NIHR to be able to demonstrate the value of publicly funded research and fulfil its mission of improving the health and wealth of the nation. In this article we describe our methods for doing this to enable other funders to be able to learn from our experience.

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