Regional Research Support, Region Skåne

PROJECT

Conditions Region Skåne annually allocates funds (in co- operation with the health care region in southern ) to be distributed to research projects that have applied for such funds. According to a regional agreement between the county councils in southern Sweden's health care region, all county council employees can apply for funds. The application is for funds to pay salaries so that employees can take time off from their health care work to conduct research and development (R & D).

Eligibility to apply All county council employees who are employed until further notice within Region Skåne and in Blekinge, Kronoberg and southern councils are eligible to apply. The applications are processed and research funds allocated via Region Skåne’s R & D Secretariat.

Form of support The research support is paid in the form of salary to enable health care employees to spend time during working hours on R & D. After a scientific assessment and ranking, research support is allocated as 1- 3 standardised amounts of SEK 65,000 each.

Focus of support The support that Region Skåne gives to R & D is to be seen as an alternative or complement to the research support provided in the form of ALF funds (agreement on doctors’ training and research) as well as research council funds. Region Skåne’s support is also to be focused on areas of major significance to health care run in southern Sweden’s health care region).

Main focus on clinical patient- based research

This refers to research into an illness problem that is conducted in close contact with patients or healthy test subjects, or refers to projects in the field of public health science and health and caring sciences.

We welcome the use of research funds for R & D projects run in co- operation with the university clinics and other parts of the health care system and for co- operation projects between clinics, between various levels of health care and involving various occupational categories in southern Sweden's health care region. Where an R & D project includes animal experimentation or basic experimental research these parts of the project must be clearly stated and differentiated from the part of the project for which regional research funding is being requested. This is necessary because such types of research cannot be financed through these regional funds.

It is recommended that research directors/supervisors apply collectively for the whole group. If supervisors do not apply, doctoral (postgraduate) students can apply themselves, and if so, they must state the name of their principal supervisor on the form. If applications are submitted for overlapping projects, the applicant is responsible for stating how the projects are related.

Assessment Applications submitted are assessed on a scientific basis (see below) and taking the projects’ significance for the health care system into account. Applications will thereafter be ranked, based on the quality of the project as determined by the prioritisation group. Prioritisation principles The projects are awarded points based on five parameters:

1) originality, degree of innovation 0- 7 points, importance 1.0 2) clarity of question/issue (objective) 0- 7 points, importance 1.0 3) tenability of the project’s methods and material 0- 7 points, importance 1.0 4) the applicant’s ability to carry out the project 0- 7 points, importance 1.0 5) the importance of the project for health care 0- 7 points, importance 1.5

The maximum number of points can therefore be 38.5.

In point 5, the applications will be assessed regarding the relevance of the research from a broad public health and health care perspective, the general applicability of the research in practical health care and the nature of the research as a regional co- operation project.

Members of the prioritisation group who conduct or have conducted research with an applicant in the past five years, or who hold a managerial position in relation to the applicant (e.g. is the applicant’s head of operations, prefect or department manager), will not take part in the assessment of that applicant’s application. The same applies to biased parties (e.g. if either party is a friend or adversary of the other or is in debt to the other) or if the parties are related.

DOCTORAL STUDENTS

Conditions As part of its regional research support, Region Skåne allocates funds to cover the costs of laying off doctoral students from their health care work. The measure is to be seen as part of Region Skåne’s support for clinical patient- based research. According to a regional agreement between the county councils in southern Sweden's health care region, all county council employees can apply for funds.

Who is eligible to apply? All county council employees who are employed until further notice (i.e. full- time or part- time work comprising at least 40% of full- time work) within Region Skåne and in Blekinge, Kronoberg and southern Halland county councils are eligible to apply. Applicants must be registered at a faculty of medicine as a doctoral (postgraduate) student, must have started his or her research project and must have a designated supervisor. Employees with all types of undergraduate degrees may apply, such as doctors, nurses, biomedical scientists, dentists and psychologists.

What type of research projects can be funded? The funds are intended for research projects concerning patient- based clinical research. This refers to research into an illness problem that is conducted in close or recurrent contact with patients, projects in the field of public health science and health and caring sciences.

How is the support paid? Provided that the project applications are of sufficient scientific quality (see above), the support will be paid as salary for six months’ research (according to the current salary status, including social security contributions), of which at least four months to the doctoral student and no more than two months to his or her supervisor (one or more) per year – primarily during a two- year period. If required, the support can be extended for a further two- year period. When applying for continued support, a new complete application must be submitted. Allocated funds are two- year funds. Funds cannot be carried forward to the subsequent year. They are forfeited if not used. THE FOLLOWING APPLIES TO BOTH TYPES OF SUPPORT

Prioritisation group A prioritisation group appointed by Region Skåne is responsible for assessing submitted applications. The group also includes a representative of Halland’s, Kronoberg’s and Blekinge’s county councils (one representative per council). The group currently consists of the following:

Ann- Kristin Öhlin (clinical chemistry, USiL), chairperson Kerstin Berntorp (endocrinology, UMAS) Peter Höglund (clinical pharmacology, USiL) Christina Nerbrand (family/general medicine, primary health care) Mef Nilbert (oncology, USiL) Bengt Jeppsson (surgery, UMAS) Lennart Råstam (family/general medicine, community health, UMAS) Bengt Sivberg (nursing, the Department of Nursing) Lars Nordgren (psychiatry, Helsingborg) Ibe Lager (medicine, CSK) Benkt Högstedt (occupational and environmental medicine, Halland County Council) Birgitta Grahn (physiotherapist, Kronoberg County Council) Johan Berglund (family/general medicine, Council)

The Research Ethics Committee Before funds are allocated to a project, it must have been approved by the local Research Ethics Committee where applicable.

Project report For projects that receive funding, a project report must be submitted in conjunction with a new application. If no new application is made, the report must be submitted no later than 30 June in the year after the allocation. The report comprises a scientific section and a resource follow- up. The follow- up of resources states who has spent time on the project using the research funds received. The scientific section of the report is designed so that it can be entered into a database which is accessible to colleagues and the general public.

Dissemination of findings Region Skåne’s R & D Secretariat has the objective of participating more actively than previously in the dissemination of findings and experiences from the projects supported by regional research funds. This is achieved through themed publications in Swedish presenting various fields. These publications are distributed within the southern health care region as well as being available on the R & D Secretariat’s website. In receiving research funds, the project manager is obliged, if requested, to help compile such a themed publication within his or her area of research. A report presented as a seminar may also be required.

Administration Announcements of fund allocation and administration of applications are carried out by Region Skåne’s R & D Secretariat.

Funds are allocated annually and cannot be carried forward to the subsequent year.

Financial position Funds allocated in 2004:

Projects: total SEK 25.45m Doctoral students (researchers): SEK 4.14m Information on research findings: SEK 0.1m In addition, operating appropriations of SEK 2.52m are allocated to Region Skåne's KompetensCentrum for clinical research (RSKC).

RSKC is a joint project featuring Region Skåne and the Faculty of Medicine at Lund University. The target group comprises all researchers and clinics that work in health care in Sweden’s southern health care region (the counties of Skåne, Blekinge, Kronoberg and southern Halland. RSKC provides advice, support and training in the following areas: clinical trials, epidemiology, biostatistics and data.