Monitoring our progress

Monitoring and tracking the outcomes of our funded research is an important part of the work we do at the Wellcome Trust. This information helps to inform future Trust strategy and build the evidence base that demonstrates the importance of biomedical research to the economy and wider society.

In 2005/06 we established the Assessment Framework, which helps us track the progress of our funded work and understand its impact. Each year, we publish our Assessment Framework Report, which details our progress in the different areas we fund.

At the Wellcome Trust, our approach to monitoring and evaluation is balanced, proportionate and in close partnership with those we fund. We strive to ensure that we do not introduce perverse incentives into the research community or divert researchers from their work.

We recognise that the nature of research means the impacts of our funding are likely to emerge a considerable time after our spending, and the direct link to human and animal health may be difficult to track; consequently, we have developed a series of high-level indicators of progress, drawing on quantitative and qualitative information to provide an overview of how and where our support is making a difference.

We actively use the information collected to develop and refine our funding strategies and to communicate the achievements and outcomes that result from the research we support.