Background information
The Health Research Classification System (HRCS) was developed by the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) to allow meaningful comparisons to be made across different funders’ research portfolios.
HRCS was used to:
- fully describe the funding landscape.
- identify gaps and opportunities for health research in the UK.
HRCS is a 2-dimensional framework:
- 21 Health Categories (type of health or disease).
- 48 Research Activity Codes (type of research from basic to applied), divided into 8 groups.
For further information please click here.
SPB Recommendations
- Use of the HRCS is encouraged as the leading approach for comparison and joint analysis of specifically health research portfolio information.
- Methodological developments are needed to reduce the cost of classification and increase flexibility.
- Coordination of a common approach is needed across organisations, at the national, European and international level.
Member Organisations who endorsed the SPB
- Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS)
Fund for Scientific Research, Belgium - Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO)
Research Foundation Flanders, Belgium - Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti (HAZU)
Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Croatia - Hrvatska zaklada za znanost (HRZZ)
Croatian Science Foundation, Croatia - Grantová agentura České republiky (GAČR)
Czech Science Foundation, Czech Republic - Det Frie Forskningsråd - Sundhed og Sygdom (FSS)
The Danish Council for Independent Research - Medical Sciences, Denmark - Suomen Akatemia/Finlands Akademi
Academy of Finland, Finland - Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
German Research Foundation, Germany - EONIKO IΔPYMA EPEYNΩN
National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF), Greece - Ίδρυμα Τεχνολογίας και Έρευνας (FORTH)
Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), Greece - Országos Tudományos Kutatási Alapprogramok (OTKA)
Hungarian Scientific Research Fund, Hungary - Health Research Board (HRB), Ireland
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)
National Research Council, Italy - Lietuvos Mokslo Taryba (LMT)
Research Council of Lithuania, Lithuania - Norges Forskningsråd
The Research Council of Norway (RCN), Norway - Polska Akademia Nauk (PAN)
Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)
Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal - Slovenská akadémia vied (SAV)
Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovak Republic - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Council for Scientific Research, Spain - Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)
Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain - Vetenskapsrådet (VR)
Swedish Research Council, Sweden - Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastırma Kurumu (TÜBITAK)
The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, Turkey - Medical Research Council (MRC), United Kingdom
Additional supportive organisations
- Ministarstvo Znanosti, Obrazovanja I Športa Republike Hrvatske
Ministry of Sciences, Education and Sports, Croatia - Zorg Onderzoek Nederland en Medische Wetenschappen (ZonMw)
The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, The Netherlands
