Health research system evaluation in I.R. of Iran.

Background: Several systems have been proposed to rank academic institutions worldwide. We aimed to introduce a new method of Health Research System (HRS) evaluation in Iran.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a specific questionnaire has been used to assess stewardship, capacity building, and knowledge production through annual evaluations of HRS in Iran. This article has explored the results of the 5-year evaluation (2003 - 2008) and aims to introduce this method to other developing countries.
Results: According to our study, in the stewardship axes, all medical science universities designed strategic plans by 2008 and 70% of the approved projects were based on priorities. In the domain of capacity building, the trend in the number of arranged workshops and held congresses is ascending. In the domain of knowledge production, the number of Iranian biomedical research articles increased from 2996 in 2003 to 8816 in 2008.The proportion of ISI Web of Science/Pub Med indexed articles per academic members also increased from 0.09 to 0.33.
Conclusion: We conclude that HRS evaluation in Iran has supported knowledge production and has strengthened evidence-based policy making. The adapted ranking system for evaluation of medical research activities is an effective strategy for HRS promotion.