Novel method for tracking the translation processes that lead to impact from Biomedical research - A pilot study

MRC经济影响呼吁指出，“MRC希望更好地理解研究与更广泛的经济和社会影响之间的联系，并利用这种理解来改进未来研究支持的策略”。为了直接满足这一需求，这个为期一年的试点项目将开发和测试一种评估生物医学研究团队的新方法。具体的实证重点是研究人员进行转化研究（TR），我们的理论视角应用经济地理学中最近发展的概念，探索如何通过管理工作主体、机构或个人之间的“接近性”（缩小差距）来帮助进行转化研究。该项目涉及在一个新的分析框架内操作这些概念，然后针对三个测试用例进行测试。在每种情况下，分析单位将是以前由方案赠款支持的一个小组。这个项目的方法是新颖的，因为它不是试图衡量研究的影响，而是将重点放在TR科学家在追求影响时使用的工作过程上。因此，我们的目标不是衡量影响，而是了解如何在政策、战略和实践层面改进研究过程，以增强影响。虽然这是一项试点研究，而不仅仅是1)测试方法，2)简化它们以供将来使用，但该项目还将3)提供与资助者和赠款持有人规划、资助和实施有效的TR直接相关的产出。对过程的关注也解决了影响评估中的一个关键方法问题。使用投入产出方法直接评估影响可能存在问题，因为知识的进步需要很长时间才能转化为广泛采用的医疗创新，而且所涉及的行动者和机构种类繁多（MRC 2012）。对这一过程过于线性的看法可能会产生误导。为了避免这个问题，该项目将采用一种混合方法，包括定性和定量的组成部分，以打开影响评估的“黑匣子”，并分析所涉及的过程。通过这样做，本提案解决了征集提案中提出的两个目标：首先，它将制定方法来跟踪转化研究产生社会经济影响的途径；其次，它将有助于确定成功因素并制定部分中间指标，以评估在微观层面（单个项目、中心、规划或任何具体投资）取得的研究影响进展。该项目将提供一种广泛适用的方法，通过描述特定资助促进的TR工作过程的变化，从而能够及时评估研究投资。项目团队包括具有生物医学评估和创新研究相关专业技能的资深专家。该小组由SPRU研究主任兼高级讲师Michael Hopkins博士领导，他是生物医学创新研究和使用混合方法研究方面的专家。团队成员还包括SPRU教学主任兼高级讲师Puay Tang博士，以及西班牙科学研究委员会和瓦伦西亚理工大学INGENIO研究所的Jordi Molas-Gallart教授，他们都有长期为英国和欧盟资助机构进行研究评估的经验。该团队还借鉴了SPRU访问学者、INGENIO研究员、国际知名文献计量学专家Ismael Rafols博士的专业知识，以及Gail Davey教授和Tony Carr教授，他们为团队带来了多年的实验室和临床研究项目经验。

The MRC Economic Impact call states that "The MRC wishes to understand better the link between research and wider economic and societal impacts, and to use this understanding to improve strategies for the future support of research". To directly address this requirement, this one year pilot project will develop and test a new approach for evaluating biomedical research teams. The specific empirical focus is on researchers conducting Translational Research (TR) and our theoretical perspective applies recently developed concepts from economic geography to explore how TR may be aided by managing 'proximities' (closing gaps) between bodies of work, institutions or individuals. The project involves operationalising these concepts within a novel analytical framework and then testing it against three test cases. In each case, the unit of analysis will be a team previously supported by a programme grant. This project's approach is novel because rather than attempting to measure research impacts, it will focus on the work processes used by TR scientists in the pursuit of impact. So rather than measuring impact, we aim to understand how research processes can be improved at a policy, strategy and practical level in order to enhance impact. Althought this is a pilot study, rather than just 1) testing the methods, and 2) streamlining them for future use, the project will also 3) provide outputs of direct relevance to funders and grant holders planning, funding and conducting effective TR. This focus on processes also addresses a key methodological issue in impact assessment. Directly assessing impact using input-output methods is likely to be problematic because of the long time that is needed for advances in knowledge to be converted into widely adopted medical innovations, and the variety of actors and institutions involved (MRC 2012). An overly linear view of the process can be misleading. To avoid this problem, the project will use a mixed-method approach, involving both qualitative and quantitative components, to open the 'black box' of impact assessment and analyse the processes involved. In so doing, this proposal addresses two of the objectives laid out in the call for proposals: Firstly, it will develop methodologies to track the pathways through which translational research generates socio-economic impacts; and secondly it will help identify success factors and develop partial intermediate indicators to assess progress towards research impact at the micro level (an individual project, centre, programme, or any specific investment). This project will deliver a broadly applicable method that allows for the timely evaluation of research investments by characterising the changes in TR work processes facilitated by specific grants. The project team includes senior experts with specialist skills related to evaluation and the study of innovation in biomedicine. The team is led by Dr. Michael Hopkins, Director of Research and Senior Lecturer in SPRU, an expert in the study of biomedical Innovation and in the use of mixed methods studies. The team also includes Dr. Puay Tang, Director of Teaching and Senior Lecturer in SPRU and Prof. Jordi Molas-Gallart, of INGENIO, a Institute of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research and the Polytechnic University of Valencia, both with long experience in research evaluation work for UK an EU funders. The team also draws on the expertise of Dr. Ismael Rafols, a Visiting Fellow at SPRU and Research Fellow at INGENIO, and internationally leading expert in bibliometrics, as well as Prof. Gail Davey and Prof. Tony Carr, who bring years of experience working on laboratory and clinical research projects to the team.