Streamlined research funding using short proposals and accelerated peer review: an observational study

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Health Innovation
• Grant Funding

Background:

• Health services research is crucial for sustainable healthcare but often underfunded in Australia.
• The Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation (AusHSI) funds research in Queensland.
• AusHSI implemented a streamlined protocol for funding applications and awards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of AusHSI's streamlined health services research funding protocol.
• To assess the impact of a simplified proposal process and accelerated peer review on funding outcomes.
• To measure the time efficiency of the application-to-funding notification process.

Main Methods:

• Observational study of 228 health services research proposals across four funding rounds (May 2012 - Nov 2013).
• Utilized a short proposal format (<1,200 words) submitted via a web portal.
• Primary outcomes included proposal preparation time, simplified scoring (reject, revise, accept for interview), and funding notification within eight weeks.

Main Results:

• Funding success rates increased from 6% in 2012 to 16% in 2013.
• Applicants received funding outcome notifications within two weeks of interviews, with a maximum of eight weeks from submission.
• Average proposal preparation time was seven days, and one-third of 2013 submissions were revisions.

Conclusions:

• The AusHSI funding scheme successfully simplified the health services research funding allocation process.
• The streamlined protocol minimized submission-to-notification timelines for applicants and peer reviewers.
• This model enhances efficiency in awarding health services research grants.