Quantitative Assessment of Scientific Research Activity at Toho University and Evaluation of Research Support Activity by Its University Research Administrator

Abstract

In 2017, the Graduate School of Medicine of Toho University has established a research administration division, hiring the institution's first university research administrator (URA). The URA is expected to provide support toward enhancing research activity at the university. To evaluate the support provided by the URA. I quantitatively assessed the research activities at Toho University based on the number of publications and awarded extramural grants. The number of publications was obtained by searching the Web of Science and PubMed databases. The number of awarded MEXT /JSPS KAKENHI (Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research) was obtained by searching the KAKEN database. I made a comparison of Toho University's research activities with those of the other universities using those search results. The medical school of Toho University showed an average performance level compared to 30 other private Japanese universities that have a medical school. In the KAKENHI research category of Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, the number of grants awarded to Toho University's medical school was about half the average of the 31 institutions. However, Toho University did show a notable increase in that number in 2020. The positive effects of the support provided by the URA were evident in the research category of Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists. Toho University's medical school submits a large number of grant applications. The Division of Research Administration receives excessive support requests as the deadlines for grant applications approach. Thus, it may be necessary to devise a system that more effectively copes with the requests received and also to consider recruiting more URAs.