Results from Groundbreaking International study pave the way for science funding

For immediate release - 2011-05

Ottawa (March 7, 2011) – The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSFC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) today announced the results of project Retrosight – the groundbreaking international study they helped fund.

The four-year study was based on 29 carefully-selected case studies of research grants that were awarded 18-20 years ago. The study assessed the impact of heart and stroke (cardiovascular) research, including how basic and clinical biomedical research is translated into clinical practice and, ultimately, how it affects health. The study results indicate that clinical research leads the way when it comes to societal impact, while basic research has greater academic impact.

"The results of Project Retrosight will go a long way in helping to inform future research funding," says Bobbe Wood, Chief Executive Officer of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. "Ensuring that we are doing the very best with every research dollar is something our donors expect."

Launched in 2007, the project involved three countries – Canada, Australia, and Britain – along with a consortium of research partners led by RAND Europe, an independent not-for-profit think-tank, and HERG, a Specialist Research Institute of Brunel University.

The research used the Payback Framework, which provides a common structure for examining the research funding process and understanding research impact.

"Project Retrosight increases our understanding of the ways in which basic and clinical research is translated into improved care and treatment of cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Jean Rouleau, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health. "Ultimately, our hope is that these findings will help improve health outcomes for those affected by cardiovascular disease."

Five key findings from the study:

  • A large and diverse range of impacts arose from the 29 grants studied. There are a considerable range of research paybacks – for example, knowledge production, informing policy and product development, broader economic impacts – and the impacts are diverse and far-reaching.
  • There are variations between the impacts derived from basic biomedical and clinical research. The knowledge produced by the research, how the research findings are used to inform policy and product development, and the benefits to health and the health sector varied between basic biomedical and clinical research.
  • There is no correlation between knowledge production and wider impacts. More knowledge does not relate to larger impact.
  • The majority of economic impacts identified come from a minority of projects. A greater number of projects funded does not equate to greater economic impact. Impacts of a very significant value can be generated by a relatively small proportion of projects.
  • We identified factors that appear to be associated with high and low impact. Basic biomedical research with clear clinical motivation, research co-located in a clinical setting, strategic thinking by clinical researchers, research collaboration (industry, internal, international), engagement with practitioners and patients, and negative and null findings are factors that affect the impact of the research.

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Canadian Institutes of Health Research
For the past 10 years, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has supported better health and health care for Canadians. As the Government of Canada's health research investment agency, CIHR enables the creation of evidence-based knowledge and its transformation into improved treatments, prevention and diagnoses, new products and services, and a stronger, patient-oriented health-care system. Composed of 13 internationally recognized Institutes, CIHR supports more than 13,600 health researchers and trainees across Canada.

Heart and Stroke Foundation
The Heart and Stroke Foundation, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living and advocacy.

Media inquiries:

Eileen Melnick McCarthy
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
613.569.4361 ext. 318
emelnick@hsf.ca

David Coulombe
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
613-941-4563
mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca