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NHMRC research funding statistics and data
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Statistics and data collections
The NHMRC research funding statistics and data collection includes:
- The NHMRC research funding dataset for 2000 to 2009 covering all new and continuing grants funded since and active in 2000 to 2009. Provides the core information on who was funded, what was funded, how long and how much. Whilst the data is filtered to enable user interrogation, it also provides a range of preset tabulated data to assist users.
- Lay summariesThis is a dataset containing the available lay summaries for all research support grants (projects, program and strategic grants) and people support grants (career awards, career development awards, training fellowships and scholarships) shown in the core dataset above. The information is provided separately for Active and Inactive Grants.
- National Health Priority Areas (NHPAs) Research funding data for the Australian Government’s nominated national health priorities (arthritis, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, injury, mental health)
- NHMRC research priorities. Research funding data for any NHMRC nominated strategic priorities. For 2009, the only NHMRC priority is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
- A list of summary funding data for all current disease and health issues datasets and worksheets. This lit provides a one line funding summary of the funding for 2000-2009 for all the burden of disease and health issues datasets (including NHPA and NHMRC priorities). The currency of the data is also provided.
- NHMRC research funding datasets based on burden of disease and health issues Contains 119 datasets, each with a summary page, a calendar year and a financial year page for all grants in that dataset and 594 separate worksheets for the different sub-types within each disease or health issue. For example, the Cancer dataset, in addition to the summary page, calendar and financial year all grants data, has in excess of 30 sub-type worksheets (from bone cancer to testicular cancer)
- NHMRC research funding trend data – a range of research funding data and information drawn from the NHMRC’s electronic databases covering information on funded research, generally over the period 2000-2009 (being updated to include 2009 data)
- An analysis of NHMRC End of Grant reports - contains quantitative data from the more than 1200 available final reports for grants that ended in 2004 to 2007 held in the electronic database – currently being updated to include the more than 3000 reports no held.
- The NHMRC research funding facts book May 2007 (updated information for 2009 is under development)
- Summary of Research achievements – a summary report that includes both the research intention from the investigator provided lay descriptions from the grant application and the research outcomes summary from the investigators End of Grant Reports (contains details from more than 3000 reports as at Dec 2009).
- A History of NHMRC research activity through its research funding and researchers. This will include a series of short ‘stories’ about NHMRC research funding over different periods of time including from the very beginning of the NHMRC in 1937. These ‘stories’ will be developed as time and resources permits and currently includes:
- NHMRC research funding retrospective 1990-1999 and 2000-2007
- The War Years – 1939 to 1945
FEEDBACK wanted
As a part of the NHMRC's ongoing commitment to consistently provide the best available information on NHMRC funding to all stakeholders and the Australian public, we are seeking feedback regarding the usability and usefulness of the data contained in the statistics portal. Your feedback will be used to improve the quality and presentation of the information provided.
Throughout the National health priority areas and NHMRC research funding datasets based on burden of disease and health issues pages you will find a rating and email feedback menu to allow you to tell us how useful the datasets have been or if additional information may be useful.
Purpose
This site enables stakeholders and users of NHMRC data to have direct access to the most consistent and best available information on NHMRC funded research. The datasets and worksheets have been produced by the NHMRC Statistics Unit and will be updated annually through a rolling review process to include the current year's research funding details.
The datasets and worksheets are based on the review of each individual grant against a range of investigator provided data classification and search options including Burden of Disease allocations, Fields of Research, keywords, grant titles and, where available, investigator provided lay descriptions. The process may result in the allocation of grants to more than one disease, disorder or health issue. No attempt has been made to apportion the funding where more than one disease or disorder etc is indicated.
Utility
The core NHMRC Research Funding Dataset for 2000 to 2009 is a fully searchable dataset. It contains a range of information presented in summary tables, including funding by main funding groups, grant types, grant sub-type, broad research areas, fields of research, administering institutions, state and territory and funding by sector.
Each disease and health issues based dataset contains a Summary page which will provide details of the methodology and the total expenditure by calendar and financial year for the full period of the funding. Each worksheet within a dataset will also contain a Summary of Expenditure for each year of the dataset, including the remaining out years.
As NHMRC funding is awarded on a calendar year basis, the funding information provided in the datasets and worksheets is the annual expenditure for each calendar year. However, each dataset will also include a worksheet that shows financial year funding at the all grants worksheet level. For example, the cancer dataset will have both a calendar year and a financial year worksheet for all cancer grants whereas the Breast Cancer sub-types worksheet will be provided in calendar year form only.
Summary notes
Each dataset and worksheet contains a number of summary notes. These will indicate that the data:
- is based on keyword and title searches relative to the disease or disorder
- may form part of a larger dataset and if so, there may be a large amount of funding that falls within the disease or disorder under review that cannot be ascribed to a particular type of the disease but which may have a benefit to sufferers of that disease or disorder
- will change over time.
The information provided in these data is provided free of charge by the NHMRC for the benefit of stakeholders and the public. While due care has been taken in its preparation, the NHMRC cannot guarantee and assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, currency, completeness or interpretation of the information.
Feedback on the utility of and accuracy of the datasets and worksheets is welcomed. Further information and assistance is available from the NHMRC Statistics Unit via email at NHMRC.Statistics@nhmrc.gov.au