Managing and Assessing Investments in Publically Funded Research: Observations and Lessons from Australia's Largest Publically Funded Research Agency

摘要

Following the global financial crisis of 2008 and ongoing economic challenges governments continue to come under increasing pressure to demonstrate the value derived from investments in programs. Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs), such as Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) are no exception and are required to demonstrate how investment decisions are made and research assessed to evidence the societal benefits from their research. Accordingly, governments and RTOs are progressively developing more sophisticated approaches and frameworks for conducting such assessments. This activity continues to identify a variety of challenges associated with defining, capturing, assessing and reporting the benefits from public investment in research in a meaningful way. The aim of this paper is to provide insights into the key challenges and emerging themes from CSIRO's experience in managing research impact. The context and mandate under which CSIRO was conceived and continues to operate has supported the instilment of impact management as part of its culture and operations. Each of CSIRO's National Research Flagships have research goals that have been developed and iterated with input from experts from industry, government and research institutions that form its advisory committees and review panels. This input informs and refines goals and pathways to maximise the likelihood and intensity of the uptake and adoption of CSIRO's research. More recently, CSIRO has supported these goals with statements of future intended impact, which, for the first time enable a portfolio view of both its delivered and intended impacts. As is the case for many research agencies, CSIRO's resources are finite and the systematic assessment of impact pathways, risks and market demands provide insights for future planning, investment decisions and resource allocation.