Health research making an impact the economic and social benefits of HRB funded research

Abstract

The Health Research Board (HRB) has been a key funder of health research in Ireland over the
\npast 21 years. In order to show the effectiveness of its research funding, the HRB has
\ncommissioned this payback study of eight grants funded in the early and mid-1990s. The
\nobjective was to show how HRB-funded research can lead to economic (and social) benefits for
\nIreland.
\nHealth research in Ireland has undergone seismic changes over the last 20 years. In 1987, HRB
\nfunding for health research amounted to €2m with some other support from EU framework
\ngrants and Wellcome Trust. By 2007, the HRB budget was €50m, now alongside even more
\nsubstantial funding from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and university infrastructure funding.
\nThe HRB funds health research from basic biomedical and clinical research through to Health
\nServices Research (HSR), public health and primary care research.
\nThe HRB has a broad mission to improve health and advance the knowledge economy so this
\nreport uses a very broad definition of economic impacts. This definition defines an economic
\nimpact as “an action or activity that affects the welfare of consumers, the profits of firms and/or
\nthe revenue of government” (Warry 2006). Economic impacts can range from monetary ones
\nsuch as greater wealth, cheaper prices and more revenue, to wider ones, such as the effects on the
\nenvironment, public health and quality of life.