Research Impact : Impact Frameworks

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions (AIHS) is a Canadian-based, publicly funded, not-for-profit, provincial health research and innovation organization mandated to improve health, the health system, and socioeconomic well-being of Albertans through health research and innovation.

The framework illustrates the "Historical Tracing Method" with 5 levels of CDC scientific influence that define degrees of impact that may not be chronological (the degree of impact is not necessarily a progression; therefore, events captured may not be reflected at every level). In addition, there may be loop-back at any point. Health outcomes are the ultimate goal - driven by the 5 levels of influence. Key indicators are listed for each level of influence as a way to track and qualify events at each level of influence. These indicators are flexible, and the ones listed are some examples.

The Framework is primarily intended to help assess or measure the payback/impacts/benefits from health research.

P=Productivity
Q=Quality of scientific work
R=Reproducibility of scientific work
S=Sharing of data and other resources
T=translational influence of research

The Research Impact Framework was developed by identifying potential areas of health research impact from the research impact assessment literature and based on research assessment criteria.

The Translational Research Impact Scale (TRIS) is intended to provide a systematic approach to assessing impact levels using a set of 72 impact indicators organized into three broad research impact domains and nine subdomains.

The Translational Science Benefits Model (TSBM) is a framework designed to support institutional assessment of clinical and translational research outcomes to measure clinical and community health impacts beyond bibliometric measures.