Towards a novel method of research evaluation: tracking proximity change in translational research projects

Abstract

Biomedical breakthroughs are often disappointingly slow to emerge (Hopkins et al. 2006; Hopkins et al. 2007). Frustrations around apparent inefficiency have led to a policy push promoting translational research. This paper is concerned with the question: How can the progress of such efforts be evaluated? Traditional research evaluation tends to focus on outputs and so may not be suitable for detecting translation in progress, particularly when these outputs may take many years to emerge (Molas-Gallart et al. forthcoming).