Outputs Framework 2006/07
The Medical Research Council has published an annual document on its activities that shows it continues to meet and exceed the objectives set by the government. The document, entitled the Outputs Framework, contains information on selected aspects of the MRC’s performance that are linked to the MRC’s contribution to maintaining a healthy science and engineering base and the council’s work towards better exploitation of its research.
The Outputs Framework shows that the MRC continues to fund research at the international cutting-edge. It reports that the “UK’s impact in health & medically-related sciences, and in biological sciences, as measured as the UK’s share of citations, remains second only to the US. In terms of citations per paper, the UK surpassed the US in both fields.” The MRC is also pleased to report that “over half of new MRC-funded PhD students” are women. While in terms of economic benefit from exploiting MRC research: “income from licensing MRC’s intellectual property exceeded target by a large margin (£46.6m vs £21.6m).”
But the MRC’s institutes and units have also continued to work more efficiently making savings of over £20 million in 2006/7. This builds on savings of £9m made in 2005/6, and the document points out that these efficiencies are linked to improved purchasing and centralising administrative support in the MRC’s Shared Service Centre.
• More about the Outputs Framework
