Programme evaluation
The Strategic Research Council (SRC) monitors and evaluates the activities of the research projects it funds. The purpose of the evaluation is to form an overall picture of the activities of the research programmes, which is why it is carried out at programme level.
The evaluation will provide an understanding of the societal impact and scientific quality of the programmes. The aim is to obtain information on the relationship between research results and societal impact. The assessment facilitates the continuous development of the funding instrument.
The evaluation takes into account the specific characteristics of each programme and project and examines effects that have already been achieved and effects that may be realised in the future. The principles of programme evaluation are available in full in the funding principles of the SRC. The programme evaluation is carried out in three stages; the contents of the stages are described below. The first programme evaluation coordinated by the Division of Strategic Research is the evaluation of the programmes that ended in 2019.
Stages of programme evaluation
Self-assessment
The aim of the first stage of the programme evaluation is to form a shared understanding of the programme’s activities. The self-assessment is carried out as programme-specific discussions, resulting in a unique analysis of the activities of each programme. The discussions address all objectives of the programme evaluation. The memorandums from the discussions will serve as material in the next stage of the evaluation.
Social impact
At the second stage, the aim is to understand the social dimension of SRC programmes. The assessment of social impact is approached in the IOOI (Input-Output-Outcome-Impact) impact chain framework. Attention is paid to a wide range of impact chains, in particular to the interaction with stakeholder networks and changes in it. The social impact is assessed by an external evaluator.
Scientific activities
The third stage of the programme evaluation will assess the multidisciplinary nature of the programmes, their scientific quality and the links between research and societal impact. The assessment utilises a wide range of material, including the final report on the assessment of social impact. The assessment is carried out by an external expert panel.
Evaluation of programmes completed in 2019
The self-evaluation discussions for the SRC programmes that ended in 2019 were completed in early 2020. The evaluation of the social impact of the programmes will be completed in early 2021 and will be carried out by Gaia Consulting, a consultancy company. The final stage of the programme evaluation, i.e. the assessment of scientific activities, completed in summer 2021.
Read more about the progress of the programme evaluation and the impact assessment in the blog posts by Jyrki Hakapää and Kyösti Husso, officials in the Division of Strategic Research:
- Understanding the impact of strategic research 22 Aug 2019
- Towards a comprehensive evaluation of research and interaction 7 Apr 2020
Learn more about SRC-funded programmes and projects. The programmes that ended in 2019 are available in the drop-down menu on the page ‘Programmes and projects’.
Inquiries
- Jyrki Hakapää, Senior Science Adviser, tel. +358 295 335 020
- Kyösti Husso, Science Adviser, tel. +358 295 335 103
Our email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname(at)aka.fi.
