Making a difference: Impact Report 2021Medical research charities are an integral part of the UK’s health research system. They respond to the priorities of people living in the UK and ensure that research into diseases and medical conditions is relevant, necessary and impactful. They fund research at all stages of the pathway from the lab to the clinic and support the people and infrastructure behind the research. In this way, they enable breakthroughs that would not otherwise have been possible. Tracking and demonstrating impact is not easy or straightforward. Transformative breakthroughs involve many different players working collaboratively and in sequence, often in non-linear paths and involving dead-ends or unexpected turns. And most of all, impact takes time. For charities to map their contribution to these breakthroughs, they must routinely collect research outputs and outcomes – steps along the way to impact - from their researchers. Some AMRC members use an online tool called Researchfish that allows them to collect the outputs and outcomes of their research funding from researchers over time. Collecting data in this consistent way allows us to pool data together from many different charities and perform a cross-sector analysis of the outcomes of the research funded by our members. In addition, because other major funders in the UK use the platform, it allows us to look at AMRC data in a wider context of public funding. We are proud to share this new report that shows what research funded by AMRC members can achieve, highlights examples of excellence, and puts charities’ role into the context of the wider research system. It follows on from our 2017 and 2019 impact reports, incorporating three more years of Researchfish data and new stories of how charity-funded research has impacted patients and society. The report is structured around three important ways in which charities add immense value: Meeting the needs of patients Boosting researchers’ careers Supporting the research system You can download a PDF version of this report and there is also an accompanying infographic. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected]. We would like to thank the Medical Research Council, Interfolio UK, and all participating organisations for making this report possible. This report was published on 15 November 2021. Home Intro & datasets Areas of impact Reflection Additional information Thank you This report is the result of collaboration between AMRC, our members, the Medical Research Council and Researchfish, which began in 2013. This work would not have been possible without the Medical Research Council, whose support has enabled smaller AMRC members to use the Researchfish system and enabled AMRC to pool together sector data, support members with data analysis and demonstrating impact, and publish three sector impact reports. We would like to thank the AMRC members and other funders and individuals who worked with us to develop the case studies featured in the report. We would also like to thank Gavin Reddick and Bev Sherbon at Interfolio UK for helping design and carry out the analysis of the public funders dataset, and the 5 public funders who gave permission for their data to be included in it: the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the Medical Research Council, UKRI (MRC), Chief Scientist Office (CSO) in Scotland, Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW) and the HSC R&D Division, Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland. Finally, we would like to thank the 49 AMRC members who provided us with their Researchfish data (listed below). Action for A-T Epilepsy Research UK Psoriasis Association Action Medical Research Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH) Rosetrees Trust Alzheimer's Research UK Kidney Research UK Royal National Institute for Deaf People Asthma UK Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI Royal Osteoporosis Society Ataxia UK Macmillan Cancer Support Sarcoma UK Autistica Marie Curie Sparks Charity (now merged with GOSH) Barts Charity Medical Research Foundation Stroke Association Bowel Cancer UK Motor Neurone Diseases Association Target Ovarian Cancer Brain Research UK MQ Mental Health Research The Brain Tumour Charity British Heart Foundation Muscular Dystrophy UK The Dunhill Medical Trust British Lung Foundation Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke The Royal College of Anaesthetists Cancer Research UK Ovarian Cancer Action Tuberous Sclerosis Association Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Charitable Trust Pancreatic Cancer Action (former member) Versus Arthritis Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (former member) Pancreatic Cancer UK Wellbeing of Women Children with Cancer UK Parkinson's UK Wellcome Crohn's and Colitis UK Pharmacy Research UK Cystic Fibrosis Trust Prostate Cancer Research Manage Cookie Preferences