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A Framework to Prioritise Health Research Proposals for Funding: Integrating Value for Money

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  • Haitham W. Tuffaha

    (Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University
    Griffith University)

  • Joanne Aitken

    (Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University
    Cancer Council Queensland)

  • Suzanne Chambers

    (Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University
    Cancer Council Queensland
    University of Technology Sydney)

  • Paul A. Scuffham

    (Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University
    Griffith University)

Abstract

When making funding decisions, research organisations largely consider the merits (e.g. scientific rigour and feasibility) of submitted research proposals; yet, there is often little or no reference to their value for money. This may be attributed to the challenges of assessing and integrating value of research into existing research prioritisation processes. We propose a framework that considers both the merits of research and its value for money to guide health research funding decisions. A practical framework is developed based on current processes followed by funding organizations for assessing investigator-initiated research proposals, and analytical methods for evaluating the expected value of research. We apply the analytical methods to estimate the expected return on investment of two real-world grant applications. The framework comprises four sequential steps: (1) initial screening of applications for eligibility and completeness; (2) merit assessment of eligible proposals; (3) estimating the expected value of research for the shortlisted proposals that pass the first two steps and ranking of proposals based on return on investment; and (4) selecting research proposals for funding. We demonstrate how the expected value for money can be efficiently estimated using certain information provided in funding applications. The proposed framework integrates value-for-money assessment into the existing research prioritisation processes. Considering value for money to inform research funding decisions is vital to achieve efficient utilisation of research budgets and maximise returns on research investments.

Suggested Citation

  • Haitham W. Tuffaha & Joanne Aitken & Suzanne Chambers & Paul A. Scuffham, 2019. "A Framework to Prioritise Health Research Proposals for Funding: Integrating Value for Money," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 17(6), pages 761-770, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:aphecp:v:17:y:2019:i:6:d:10.1007_s40258-019-00495-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s40258-019-00495-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Karl Claxton & John Posnett, "undated". "An Economic Approach to Clinical Trial Design and Research Priority Setting," Discussion Papers 96/19, Department of Economics, University of York.
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    Cited by:

    1. Donald A. Redelmeier & Allan S. Detsky, 2021. "Economic Theory and Medical Assistance in Dying," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 5-8, January.
    2. Štrangfeldová Jana & Štefanišinová Nikola, 2020. "Value for Money in Organizations Providing Public Education Services and How to Measure It," Naše gospodarstvo/Our economy, Sciendo, vol. 66(2), pages 62-70, June.
    3. Babashahi, Saeideh & Hansen, Paul & Sullivan, Trudy, 2021. "Creating a priority list of non-communicable diseases to support health research funding decision-making," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(2), pages 221-228.
    4. Haitham Tuffaha & Claire Rothery & Natalia Kunst & Chris Jackson & Mark Strong & Stephen Birch, 2021. "A Review of Web-Based Tools for Value-of-Information Analysis," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 19(5), pages 645-651, September.
    5. Haitham Tuffaha, 2021. "Value of Information Analysis: Are We There Yet?," PharmacoEconomics - Open, Springer, vol. 5(2), pages 139-141, June.

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