Procurement of Australian research grants a costly process

A professor of health economics at Queensland University of Technology has called for an overhaul of the procurement processes of research grants.

Professor Nicholas Graves’ paper, which is published in the British Medical Journal, estimated that the 2983 research applications that were submitted to the National Health and Medical Research Council in 2009 cost a total of $47.9 million - or $17,744 each - to prepare. Of this 85 per cent of the cost was borne by applicants, who spent an average of 22 days preparing the application, 9 per cent was spent on the peer review process and 5 per cent in administrative costs.

The paper also concludes that a process that is based on "retrospective assessment of actual performance may be a better system".

"Funding could be allocated using quantifiable evidence rather than promises, including published papers, new policies for observable improvements in health," it says.

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