Research Strategy, 2005 - 2010
Current MRC research strategy
The current overarching research strategy of the MRC is articulated through the six national programmes into which the MRC units and other research entities were grouped in the year 2000. Reference to the national programmes features prominently in the descriptive documents issued by the MRC to advertise its activities. Despite this, knowledge and recognition of the six national programmes is generally poor, and significant confusion exists both inside and outside the MRC as to the structure of these programmes, their functions, their coordination and their objectives. Further confusion is prevalent concerning the terms ‘lead programme’ and ‘national programme’.
The six national programmes are:
- Environment And Development
- Health Systems And Policy
- Non-Communicable Diseases
- Infection And Immunity
- Molecules To Disease
- Women And Child Health
The confusion as to the precise meaning of the national programmes is in part because they have not had individual champions to lead them; and partly because the actual divisions reflect thinking that was well founded at the time, but has been to some extent superseded by events. For example, the existence of a national programme entitled ‘molecules to disease’ carries an implication that the units and other research entities classified within the non-communicable diseases and the infection and immunity national programmes do not concern themselves particularly with molecular issues. In reality, molecular research is increasingly becoming the major focus for virtually all cutting-edge biomedical research. Moreover, there is a growing recognition of the importance of molecular epidemiology and of health systems that are reliant on molecular insights.
A final criticism of the six national programmes is the concern that such a classification leads to ‘silo-type’ thinking. The real strength of the MRC lies in its truly comprehensive, integrated and national health research approach; borne of many years of experience in conducting (intramural) and supporting (extramural) medical research in all its dimensions. The MRC’s activities uniquely straddle issues of health, including population health (with special social science skills), disease and disease mechanisms (with special biomedical science skills) and health systems, settings and policy research, in which the MRC plays a unique national role. |
