Publishing affects funding in neurology

A new national system for funding research in universities and hospitals in Norway based on publication output is described.

All scientific publications were counted and weighted according to the quality of the publication channel. Author addresses were credited. This led to a number of publication points for each institution/department.

The number of publication points for neurology had increased from 75.0 in 2005 to 98.3 in 2007. Publishing and the quality of publications were given more attention than before, and there was a stronger focus on facilitating research at the institutions. Research was regarded as not only an institutional but also as an individual responsibility.

The principle of performance-based funding in addition to funding based on project applications has been well received, and it stimulates more and better research. Scientific publications represent a useful marker, whereas the way of counting author addresses and determining quality is still debated.