Investigation of the impact of co-location: economies of scope and scale in biomedical and health research

调查共址的影响：生物医学和健康研究的范围经济和规模经济

基本信息

批准号：
MR/M008401/1
负责人：
Steven Wooding
金额：
$ 26.95万
依托单位：
RAND Europe
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2014
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2014 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FM008401%2F1
关键词：
Investigation impact co location economies

项目摘要

It is important to achieve the best outcomes from public sector investments in medical research. To do this, research funders need to understand where they should invest the limited funds they have available to maximise the outcomes from that investment. One consideration when deciding where to allocate funding is whether there are economies of scope and scale in biomedical research. Economies of scope are said to exist when undertaking two different activities in the same place is better value for money than undertaking the same two activities separately, e.g. teaching medicine in the same place as researching it. Economies of scale exist when the cost to do or produce something falls the greater the quantity produced in one place, e.g. the cost per MRI scan falls as the proportion of time a scanner is in use increases. In the context of public funding of medical research, where the research outputs will differ between projects and researchers, the concept of economies of scope is perhaps most relevant. If there are economies of scope or scale, then medical research funding would have greater impact when concentrated in a few locations. Conversely, if there are diseconomies of scope or scale then funding would be more productive if spread across numerous research units rather than being concentrated in a few. If there are no great economies or diseconomies, then research outputs per investment would be unaffected by the number of units that funding is spread across. Economies of scale and scope in biomedical research could come from two main sources. It could result from the physical infrastructure, such as expensive research equipment, or other support services, which can be provided more cost effectively where a large group of people are working together. Or it could result from the interactions between researchers, enabling them to work together better and draw on advice from colleagues. However, new technologies are making both the sharing of infrastructure, and long distance communication, easier so may mean that these effects are decreasing in importance. Current evidence is inconclusive on whether there are economies of scope and scale and if so, what causes them. Therefore, this project aims to address three main questions:1.Do economies of scope and scale exist in medical research: is it better to support research in a few places rather than spread support across many places?2.What is the source of any economies of scope and scale: use of costly and specific infrastructure, or interactions affected by location?3.Where and if benefits (or dis-benefits) exist as a result of colocation in terms of the interactions facilitated, how do these differ between different researchers (early career and later career, basic and clinical, different research areas etc.), research stages and how have they changed over time (if at all)?We will do this in three stages:1. A thorough, rapid evidence review of the work that has already been done on this subject;2. Interviews with researchers across a range of locations, and detailed study of a few specific locations where researchers have recently moved into new research centres to understand the effect of their new environment on their research and the way they work together;3. Development of an econometric model (or models) for economies of scope and scale, and investigation of whether the necessary data is available to test them.The project would make three contributions. First it will compile the existing evidence into a form that can be understood and used by policy makers, and disseminate that to them. Second it will develop new insights into the ways in which any economies of scope and scale function within biomedical research through the interviews and detailed analysis of specific locations. Third it would explore the feasibility of carrying out an econometric examination of the magnitude of the issue in the UK biomedical research context.

重要的是要获得公共部门在医学研究方面的最佳成果。为此，研究资助者需要了解他们应该在哪里投资有限的资金，以最大程度地利用该投资的结果。决定在哪里分配资金时的一个考虑因素是生物医学研究中是否有范围和规模经济。据说范围经济在同一地点进行两种不同的活动时存在比单独进行相同的两个活动（例如与研究医学在同一地点教医学。当做或产生某事的成本或生产成本的数量越大，例如一个地方，例如随着扫描仪使用的时间比例增加，每次MRI扫描的成本下降。在项目和研究人员之间的研究成果将有所不同的医学研究的公共资助背景下，范围经济的概念可能是最相关的。如果有范围或规模的经济体，则在集中在几个地点时，医学研究资金将产生更大的影响。相反，如果存在范围或规模的不经济，那么如果跨越众多研究单位而不是集中精力，资金将更有生产力。如果没有伟大的经济或不经济，那么每次投资的研究产出将不受资金分配的单位数量的影响。生物医学研究中规模和范围的经济可能来自两个主要来源。它可能是由物理基础设施（例如昂贵的研究设备或其他支持服务）造成的，在大量人一起工作的情况下，可以有效地提供更有效的成本。或者这可能是由于研究人员之间的互动而导致的，使他们能够更好地合作并借鉴同事的建议。但是，新技术既可以使基础架构的共享，又可以使长距离通信更容易，因此可能意味着这些效果在重要性上有所下降。目前的证据尚无定论，即是否有范围和规模的经济体，如果是的话，是什么原因导致了它们。因此，该项目旨在解决三个主要问题：1。医学研究中存在范围和规模的经济：在几个地方支持研究，而不是在许多地方进行支持，而不是在许多地方传播支持？2。范围和规模的任何经济的来源是什么：使用昂贵和特定基础架构的使用，或者通过位置影响的相互作用的相互作用，以及在某些方面的互动？（早期职业和后来的职业，基本和临床，不同的研究领域等），研究阶段以及它们会随着时间的流逝而变化（如果有的话）？我们将在三个阶段进行：1。对已经对此主题进行的工作进行了详尽的，快速的证据审查； 2。对各个地方的研究人员进行了访谈，并详细研究了一些特定地点，其中研究人员最近搬进了新的研究中心，以了解其新环境对他们的研究以及他们一起工作方式的影响； 3。开发用于范围和规模经济经济体的计量经济学模型（或模型），并研究是否可以使用必要的数据来测试它们。该项目将做出三项贡献。首先，它将将现有证据汇编成一种形式，政策制定者可以理解和使用，并将其传播给他们。其次，它将通过访谈和对特定位置的详细分析在生物医学研究中的任何范围和规模功能经济的方式发展新的见解。第三，它将探索对英国生物医学研究环境中问题的规模进行计量经济学检查的可行性。