75 YEARS OF WORKING TO BUILD A HEALTHY AUSTRALIA NHMRC

Transcription

1 75 YEARS OF WORKING TO BUILD A HEALTHY AUSTRALIA NHMRC Research Funding Facts Book 2011

2 75 YEARS OF WORKING TO BUILD A HEALTHY AUSTRALIA NHMRC Research Funding Facts Book 2011

3 Australian Government 2011 Paper-based publication This work is copyright. You may reproduce the whole or part of this work in unaltered form for your own personal use or, if you are part of an organisation, for internal use within your organisation, but only if you or your organisation do not use the reproduction for any commercial purpose and retain this copyright notice and all disclaimer notices as part of that reproduction. Apart from rights to use as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 or allowed by this copyright notice, all other rights are reserved and you are not allowed to reproduce the whole or any part of this work in any way (electronic or otherwise) without first being given the specific written permission from the Commonwealth to do so. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights are to be sent to Strategic Communications, National Health and Medical Research Council, GPO Box 1421, Canberra ACT 2600 or via to ISBN Print: Australian Government 2011 Electronic documents This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce the whole or part of this work in unaltered form for your own personal use or, if you are part of an organisation, for internal use within your organisation, but only if you or your organisation do not use the reproduction for any commercial purpose and retain this copyright notice and all disclaimer notices as part of that reproduction. Apart from rights to use as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 or allowed by this copyright notice, all other rights are reserved and you are not allowed to reproduce the whole or any part of this work in any way (electronic or otherwise) without first being given the specific written permission from the Commonwealth to do so. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights are to be sent to Strategic Communications, National Health and Medical Research Council, GPO Box 1421, Canberra ACT 2600 or via to ISBN Online: To obtain information regarding NHMRC publications contact: Phone: Toll free NHMRC ( ) or call Internet: NHMRC Publication reference: NH154 Published: November 2011

4 Introduction This facts book contains key statistics related to NHMRC s research funding and research activity over the last ten years. It reflects NHMRC s substantial commitment to reporting and increasing the understanding of health and medical research funding in Australia. More detailed statistics and funding data can be found on the NHMRC website at

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6 Table of contents Figure 1 Budget appropriations...1 Figure 2a Number of active grants for application years 2002, 2006 and Figure 2b Number of new grants by selected funding types for application years 2002, 2006 and Figure 3 Number of new grants annually by main funding group...4 Figure 4 NHMRC research expenditure by Broad Research Area...6 Figure 5 NHMRC funding supporting researchers Figure 6 Success rates by gender (based on lead Chief Investigator)...9 Figure 7 Reported value of additional funds leveraged from national and international sources by NHMRC-funded investigators...10 Figure 8 Value of additional funds leveraged from national and international sources through NHMRC research collaboration and partnership arrangements Figure 9 Comparing NHMRC research expenditure for priority health areas...12 Figure 10 Research expenditure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health Figure 11 Percentage of NHMRC research expenditure to each state and territory 2002, 2006 and Figure 12 Funding comparison of top 15 grant Administering Institutions...15 Figure 13 Project grants distribution by Administering Institution and Actual Institution type application years...16 Figure 14 Project grants distribution by actual institution type and Broad Research Area application years...17 Figure 15 Success rates for NHMRC Project Grants by state and territory 2006 and Figure 16 Fundability of NHMRC Standard Project Grants following peer review...19

7 vi NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK 2011

8 1 Budget appropriations $1000 Figure 1 $800 $ Million $600 $400 $200 $ The figure above shows budget appropriations for the NHMRC as reported in each year s Portfolio Budget Statements (PBS) document. The large increase in appropriation in is due to a one-off increase in funds to support the Australia Fellowships scheme and a general increase in funds following the Grant Review (2004). NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK

9 Figure 2a 2a Number of active grants for application years 2002, 2006 and 2011 Grant Type Research Fellowships Practitioner Fellowships Career Development Fellowships Early Career Fellowships (Australia) Early Career Fellowships (Overseas) Scholarships Project Grants Development Grants Program Grants The number of active grants is the number of NHMRC grants receiving funding in any given calendar year. This will therefore include ongoing grants that commenced funding any time in the previous five years prior to that calendar year. For example, in 2011 there will be active grants that commenced funding in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, all of which will receive some money in NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK 2011

10 2b Number of new grants by selected funding types for application years 2002, 2006 and 2011 Figure 2b Grant type Research Fellowships Practitioner Fellowships Career Development Fellowships Early Career Fellowships (Australia) Early Career Fellowships (Overseas) Scholarships Project Grants New grants are grants that have started to receive the first of their awarded funding in a particular calendar year. Generally, these grants would have been awarded in the previous year s grant application round. For example, new grants in 2011 are likely to have been successful grant applications from the 2010 grant application round. NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK

11 Figure 3 3 Number of new grants annually by main funding group Research Support Fellowships and Scholarships Facilities This figure shows the number of new grants by the type of award research support (e.g. Project Grants), Fellowships and Scholarships, and facilities support (e.g. equipment grants). 4 NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK 2011

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13 Figure 4 4 NHMRC research expenditure by Broad Research Area 9% 1% 25% 2001 Health services Biomedical Clinical medicine 65% Public health 5% 14% 47% 2011 Health services Biomedical 34% Clinical medicine Public health 6 NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK 2011

14 This figure illustrates NHMRC s annual research expenditure for calendar years 2001 and 2011 split by the Broad Research Area (BRA) of the grant. The BRA is assigned to the grant by the grant applicant at the time of application and is used to broadly classify the type of research being conducted. Broad Research Area 2001 $m 2011 $m Biomedical Clinical Medicine Public Health Health Service Total Research Note: Data does not include infrastructure/enabling grants NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK

15 Figure 5 5 NHMRC funding supporting researchers Part time Full time These data are estimates of how many Australians within the research workforce are supported by NHMRC funding. The data is drawn from people who are directly supported by people support schemes as well as estimates of people funded by research support schemes. Supported personnel may include Chief Investigators, research assistants, clinicians, nurses and allied health professionals. 8 NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK 2011

16 6 Success rates by gender (based on lead Chief Investigator) Figure 2b Grant type All applicants % Female % Male % All applicants % Female % Male % All applicants % Female % Male % Research Fellowship Career Development Fellowship Early Career Fellowship (Australia) Early Career Fellowship (overseas) Scholarships This table shows the success rate of grant applications based on the gender of the investigator. NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK

17 Figure 7 7 Reported value of additional funds leveraged from national and international sources by NHMRC-funded investigators Type Total grants with leveraged funding Individual instances of leveraged funding reported Total value of NHMRC grants used to leverage funds ($m) Total Amount leveraged from other sources ($m) International only National only Both international and national Not stated Total Leverage Ratio 2.4 Note: The leverage ratio refers to the return only on those grants where it was indicated that additional funding was leveraged as a consequence of NHMRC support. These data show how NHMRC research grants have been used to leverage additional funding from other sources to support the research. This information comes from the End of Grant Final Report researchers normally submit within 6 months upon completion of their research. Of the 4,322 final reports submitted to NHMRC for the period , 907 (21%) indicated that NHMRC funding has been used to leverage research funding from other sources. 2,111 instances of leveraged funding were reported from these 907 Final Reports. 10 NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK 2011

18 8 Value of additional funds leveraged from national and international sources through NHMRC research collaboration and partnership arrangements Figure 8 Type Number of grants Total value $m NHMRC funding $m Funding other sources $m Leverage ratio International collaborations National collaborations and partnerships Co funded arrangements Total International collaborators include Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Health Research Council of New Zealand, Wellcome Trust and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. National collaborations and partnerships includes funding arrangements with Australian Research Council, and, via the NHMRC partnerships grants scheme through various state/territory government agencies, industry groups and private companies. Co-funding arrangements exist with Alzheimer s Australia, Diabetes Australia, National Heart Foundation, Kidney Health Australia, Retina Australia, Cerebral Palsy Foundation, Prostate Cancer Foundation and MS Research Australia. NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK

19 Figure 9 9 Comparing NHMRC research expenditure for priority health areas $210 $180 $150 $ Million $120 $90 $60 $30 $0 Cancer Prevention Cardiovascular Diabetes Mental illness Indigenous health Obesity Arthritis Dementia Asthma The figure above shows the annual expenditure for NHMRC research funding in a number of health priority areas for the years 2001, 2005 and Please note that there may be some overlap in the data due to the multidisciplinary nature of the research (e.g. prevention may include some diabetes and obesity). 12 NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK 2011

20 10 Research expenditure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health Figure 10 Expenditure $m Percentage of all funding $50 7.0% $45 $40 6.0% $35 5.0% $ Million $30 $25 $20 4.0% 3.0% $15 2.0% $10 $5 1.0% $ % The NHMRC is committed to a target of allocating at least 5% of its annual health and medical research funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. This target was recommended by a House of Representatives report, Health is Life. In 2002, this recommendation was incorporated into the Portfolio Budget Statements. In 2008, this target was reached. By 2010, annual expenditure on Indigenous health had grown to 5.9% of total annual research funding. NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK

21 Figure Percentage of NHMRC research expenditure in each state and territory 2002, 2006 and 2011 Northern Territory Queensland Western Australia South Australia % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % New South Wales Victoria Tasmania Australian Capital Territory These data compare the research funding provided by the NHMRC to research institutions administering NHMRC grants in each state and territory in 2002, 2006 and NHMRC funds are awarded as a result of national competitive peer review processes. 14 NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK 2011

22 12 Funding comparison of top 15 grant Administering Institutions Figure 12 Grant Administering Institution 2011 University of Melbourne $100,008,137 University of Sydney $94,715,887 Monash University $79,228,018 University of Queensland $67,240,571 University of New South Wales $56,548,401 University of Adelaide $43,647,813 Walter and Eliza Hall Institute $36,019,249 University of Western Australia $33,844,413 Queensland Institute of Medical Research $28,049,627 Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute $22,120,618 Murdoch Childrens Research Institute $20,447,798 Garvan Institute of Medical Research $15,307,232 Australian National University $15,025,745 University of Newcastle $14,402,161 Flinders University $8,624,705 All funding $746,057,089 Proportion of all funding 85% This table provides data on NHMRC annual expenditure in the 2011 calendar year for the top 15 most highly funded Administering Institutions. The Administering Institution is the institution that submits a grant funding application on behalf of the applicant and then administers any grant funds awarded. The Administering Institution may not necessarily be the institution where the research actually takes place. NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK

23 Figure Project grants distribution by Administering Institution and Actual Institution type application years Other Government Medical Research Institutes University Hospital 19.8% 0.8% 0.3% 0.8% 78.4% 16.4% 3.7% 1.5% 52.7% 25.7% Proportion of grants by administration institution Proportion of grants by actual institution NHMRC research funding is provided to researchers through their employing institution (Administering Institution) and these are responsible for the administration of NHMRC funded grants. The figure above shows that during the period more than 78% of project grants were administered by the university sector, while only 53% of the research was actually undertaken at universities. Less than 1% of research was administered by hospitals, however, more than 16% of research was actually undertaken at hospitals. The research itself may be conducted in a number of different institutions (e.g. at affiliated hospitals, in the community, or at collaborating institutions). 16 NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK 2011

24 14 Project grants distribution by Actual Institution type and Broad Research Area application years Figure 14 Clinical medicine Biomedical Public health Health services University Research Institute Hospital Almost 95% of NHMRC-funded research is undertaken at either a university, a medical research institute or a hospital/clinical setting with the remaining 5% spread between other government agencies (e.g. CSIRO) or philanthropic organisations (e.g. NSW Cancer Council). These data show how the research within the three major funding sectors is distributed across the four research pillars. The majority of the research undertaken at universities and medical research institutes is either biomedical and clinical medicine while at hospitals, not surprisingly, clinical research is most prevalent. Public health research is generally featured evenly across the three sectors while health services research occurs mainly in the hospital and university sectors. NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK

25 Figure Success rates for NHMRC Project Grants by state and territory 2006 and State/territory Apps received Number funded Success rate Apps received Number funded Success rate Australian Capital Territory % % New South Wales % % Northern Territory % % Queensland % % South Australia % % Tasmania % % Victoria % % Western Australia % % Total % % The table above provides success rates for Project Grants based on the state or territory of the institution submitting the grant application. Some caution should be taken with the interpretation of these data. This is particularly the case for ACT, NT and TAS where the success rates may be impacted at a greater level by small variations in the number of grant applications submitted in a particular year. 18 NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK 2011

26 16 Fundability of NHMRC Standard Project Grants following peer review Figure Number of applications assessed as not fundable Number of applications assessed as fundable but not funded Number of applications funded This figure shows the distribution of grant applications based on: the number of grants that are actually funded those that were fundable but not funded (grants that were given a final score that is deemed to be worthy of funding, but for which funding was not available) those that were unfundable (grants that fell into a scoring category that is considered to be not worthy of funding support). The large number of applications in the 2006 application year is an outlier due to a once-off change in the application submission process. NHMRC RESEARCH FUNDING FACTS BOOK

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28 75 YEARS OF WORKING TO BUILD A HEALTHY AUSTRALIA GPO Box 1421, Canberra ACT Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra City ACT 2600 T NHMRC ( ) or F E. nhmrc@nhmrc.gov.au