Scope
Define the funding portfolio, evaluation period and questions being examined. Keep those boundaries clear when interpreting the analysis.
Client analysis · Research funding
Research portfolio evaluation
CANCEA evaluated the research funding portfolio of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Evaluation context
Look across the portfolio, with the evaluation question in view.
A portfolio view considers the relationships between research funding, research activity and capacity, and potential pathways to wider benefits.
Attribution
Distinguish outcomes associated with funded activity from effects attributable to it. A defensible counterfactual makes the comparison explicit.
Timing
Research activity and wider benefits can occur on different timescales. Evaluation needs to account for the time between funding, research and potential downstream effects.