title: Developing a methodology to assess the impact of research grant funding: a mixed methods approach.
abstract: This paper discusses the development of a mixed methods approach to analyse research funding. Research policy has taken on an increasingly prominent role in the broader political scene, where research is seen as a critical factor in maintaining and improving growth, welfare and international competitiveness. This has motivated growing emphasis on the impacts of science funding, and how funding can best be designed to promote socio-economic progress. Meeting these demands for impact assessment involves a number of complex issues that are difficult to fully address in a single study or in the design of a single methodology. However, they point to some general principles that can be explored in methodological design. We draw on a recent evaluation of the impacts of research grant funding, discussing both key issues in developing a methodology for the analysis and subsequent results. The case of research grant funding, involving a complex mix of direct and intermediate effects that contribute to the overall impact of funding on research performance, illustrates the value of a mixed methods approach to provide a more robust and complete analysis of policy impacts. Reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of the methodology are used to examine refinements for future work.
authors.affiliation: Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Department of Political Science and Government, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 7, DK-8000 Aarhus C., Denmark. Electronic address: carter.bloch@cfa.au.dk.
authors.forename: Carter
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bloch
authors.affiliation: Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Department of Political Science and Government, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 7, DK-8000 Aarhus C., Denmark.
authors.forename: Mads P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.affiliation: Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Department of Political Science and Government, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 7, DK-8000 Aarhus C., Denmark.
authors.forename: Ebbe K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Graversen
authors.affiliation: Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Department of Political Science and Government, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 7, DK-8000 Aarhus C., Denmark.
authors.forename: Jesper W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Department of Political Science and Government, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 7, DK-8000 Aarhus C., Denmark.
authors.forename: Evanthia Kalpazidou
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Department of Political Science and Government, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 7, DK-8000 Aarhus C., Denmark.
authors.forename: Kaare
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aagaard
authors.affiliation: Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Department of Political Science and Government, Aarhus University, Bartholins Allé 7, DK-8000 Aarhus C., Denmark.
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mejlgaard
mesh_terms: D015706:Bibliometrics; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D011057:Politics; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011640:Public Policy / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Additionality; Grants; Impact analysis; Mixed methods; Research policy