Evaluation of Large Research Initiatives: Outcomes, Challenges, and Methodological Considerations

The authors synthesize relevant literature and findings of evaluations of four large-scale, federally funded scientific research programs in the United States to identify desired outcomes of these types of programs, major evaluation challenges, and methodological principles and approaches. Evaluators face numerous contextual, political, and methodological challenges in evaluating big science. The authors propose that these may be addressed through participatory planning, such as concept mapping, triangulation of evidence, use of promising methodologies, and a systems approach. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biomedical research has undergone a significant transformation since the mid-1960s. In the United States, National Institute for Health (NIH) funding has been increasing since 1970 and doubled between 1998 and 2003 (Loscalzo, 2006). Concurrently, the nature, organization, and management of the scientific enterprise have changed (Edgerton, 1999; Nash & Stillman, 2003). Big science is now a significant portion of the NIH