UK Health Research
Analysis 2014
UK Clinical Research Collaboration 2015
© UK Clinical Research Collaboration 2015
Published by the Medical Research Council
ISBN 978-0-903730-20-4
The text of this report and supporting data (excluding logos) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC
BY 4.0) License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ unless otherwise stated.
Acknowledgment should include “UK Health Research Analysis 2014 (UK Clinical Research Collaboration , 2015)
http://www.hrcsonline.net/pages/uk-health-research-analysis-2014”.
The Health Research Classification System itself is open source. You are free to use and distribute the HRCS but you should not
alter it or use it for commercial benefit.
Any enquiries related to this publication should be sent to:
UK Clinical Research Collaboration
C/O Medical Research Council
One Kemble Street, London
WC2B 4TS
or info@ukcrc.org
This publication is available at http://www.hrcsonline.net/pages/uk-health-research-analysis-2014
Cover Image Credits: “Adding samples to a plate”: © Hakat, Shutterstock / “Battery of syringes in labor, ready for medical
research”: © fifoprod, Shutterstock / “Scientist working at the laboratory”: © Guschenkova, Shutterstock / “Detail from a
microscope”: © Richard Schramm, Shutterstock / “Scientist working at laboratory”: © Alexander Raths, Shutterstock / “Woman
loading samples in biochemical laboratory analyzer”: © Alexander Gospodinov, Shutterstock / “DNA sample being pipetted into
petri dish with DNA gel in background”: © pogonici, Shutterstock / “Petri dishes”: © science photo, Shutterstock / “Growing
biological culture”: © science photo, Shutterstock.
Participating Organisations
The
Dunhill
Medical
Trust
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UK Health Research Analysis 2014 UK Clinical Research Collaboration 2015 Acknowledgements
This analysis was only possible due to the support of 64 UK
the compilation of small to medium sized AMRC member
organisations that fund health-relevant research. The authors
data. The authors also would like to thank colleagues at
wish to thank these organisations for providing data, and in
UberResearch Ltd, who provided advice and developed tools
many cases contributing significant staff time to be trained
that may prove useful in future HRCS analyses, in particular
and to train others to consistently code using the HRCS. We
Giles Radford who has a long association with auto-coding
would like to recognise the time and effort that research
approaches. We would also like to thank Andrew Speakman
managers and administrators from these organisations put to
and Anna Smith for providing additional coder training,
coding over 17,000 awards using the HRCS and participating
contract coding, analysis checks and on-going support for
in discussions to quality control the results.
this analysis. The project was managed by Dr Jim Carter
at the MRC who carefully oversaw the collection, coding
The compilation of the report was possible due to the time
and checking of the analysis, liaised with all participating
and attention given to this by HRAF members (see below)
organisations and drafted the report, with support from MRC
and AMRC staff, in particular Gemma Luck who co-ordinated
senior analyst Matthew Coles.
Health Research Analysis Forum 2015
Ian Viney (Chair)
Shannon Amoils
Nicola Armstrong
Michael Bowdery
Lynne Davies
Kevin Dolby
David Kryl
Liz Philpots
Sarah Qureshi
Ben Ryan
Medical Research Council
British Heart Foundation
Health and Social Care R&D Division, Northern Ireland
Division for Social Care and Health Research, Wales
Cancer Research UK
Wellcome Trust
Melanie Edwards
Arthritis Research UK
Department of Health
Association of Medical Research Charities
UK Clinical Research Collaboration
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Beverley Sherbon
Medical Research Council
Julie Simpson
Chief Scientist Office, Scotland
Beverley Thomas
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Joy Todd
Economic and Social Research Council
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UK Health Research Analysis 2014 UK Clinical Research Collaboration 2015 Contents
Participating Organisations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Index of Tables & Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Introduction and Purpose of the Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Scope of the Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Detailed Analysis: Research Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Detailed Analysis: Health Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Geographical Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Distribution of Funding between Charity and Public Sector . . . . . . . 56
Next Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Appendix 1 – Coding Approaches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Appendix 2 – Combined Spend Breakdown by Funding Organisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Appendix 3 – Additional Funding Sources for UK Health R&D Expenditure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Appendix 4 – Total UK Health R&D Expenditure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Appendix 5 – Table of Total Funding Distribution by Research Activity Sub Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Appendix 6 – Table of Total Funding Distribution by Health Category (HRAF vs. All Funders) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Appendix 7 – Details of Mapping between WHO DALY rates and HRCS codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Appendix 8 – Table of Total Funding Distribution by Geographical Region (2004/05, 2009/10 and 2014 All Funders). . . . 90
Appendix 9 – Table of Total Funding Distribution by Charity, Research Council and Government Funders (64 total) in 2014. 94
Appendix 10 – Additional Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
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UK Health Research Analysis 2014 UK Clinical Research Collaboration 2015