Apply for the Cochrane-REWARD prize for reducing waste in research

Cochrane-REWARD prize for reducing waste in research

Deadline for nominations 15 May

An estimated $170 billion of research funding is wasted each year because its outcomes cannot be used [1]. The waste occurs during 5 stages of research production: question selection, study design, research conduct, publication, and reporting [2,3]. Much of this waste appears to be avoidable or remediable, but there are few proposed solutions.  

To stimulate and promote research in this area, Cochrane announces the Cochrane-REWARD prize. 

Cochrane is now calling for nominations for the 2018 prize.

All nominations will be assessed using the following criteria:

  1. The nominee has addressed at least one of the 5 stages of research waste (questions, design, conduct, publication, reporting) in the area of health;
  2. The nominee has pilot or more definitive data showing the initiative can lower waste;
  3. The initiative can be scaled up;
  4. The estimated potential reduction in research waste that the initiative might achieve.

Nominations for the 2018 prize, should be submitted by 15 May 2018. Two prizes will be awarded (a 1st prize of £1500 and a 2nd prize of £1000), but other shortlisted candidates will also be highlighted to help disseminate good ideas.

The winners of the 2018 prize will be announced at the Cochrane Colloquium, Edinburgh, 16-18 September, 2018.

  1. Chalmers I, Glasziou P. Avoidable waste in the production and reporting of research evidence. Lancet. 2009 Jul 4;374(9683):86-9.
  2. Macleod MR, Michie S, Roberts I, et al. Biomedical research: increasing value, reducing waste. Lancet. 2014 Jan 11;383(9912):101-4.
  3. Glasziou P, Altman DG, Bossuyt P, et al. Reducing waste from incomplete or unusable reports of biomedical research. Lancet. 2014 Jan 18;383(9913):267-76.
Thursday, May 3, 2018