Advancing Research Impact Assessment Through TSBM: The First European Pilot

kick off event for the Impact-based Assessment of the Translational Research in the Italian Research Hospitals project

The Translational Science Benefits Model (TSBM) framework was adopted in a national Italian pilot project aimed at advancing responsible research assessment across Italy’s network of research hospitals, known as Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, or IRCCS. Conducted from January through December 2025, the initiative demonstrated how the TSBM framework can support the evaluation of translational research by documenting real-world benefits alongside traditional research metrics.

The project, Impact-based Assessment of the Translational Research in the Italian Research Hospitals, was coordinated by Valeria Elisa Contarino, PhD, former president of the Associazione Ricercatori in Sanità–Italia (ARSI) and healthcare researcher at Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Milano. It was funded through the CoARA Boost Cascade Funding initiative within the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme. The project aligned with the principles of the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (ARRA) by promoting more responsible research assessment methods that combine qualitative indicators and quantitative metrics.

  • Kick-off event 2
  • Wrap-up event
  • Flyer
  • Training Roma 3
  • Kick-off event
  • Training Bologna
  • Wrap-up event 2

To support implementation, researchers from IRCCS institutions received training on the TSBM framework and toolkit and applied it in practice. A total of 170 researchers and research professionals across 15 IRCCS institutes participated in the training. Following the training, 85 participants applied the framework to 50 translational research projects, documenting both qualitative evidence of benefits and quantitative impact metrics.

The TSBM-based impact assessment was conducted across 50 translational research projects in Italian IRCCS. The identified benefits were classified according to the expected timeframe for impact (short- vs. long-term), the confidence supporting the evidence (high vs. low), and the four TSBM benefit domains: clinical, community, economic, and policy.

The project also collected 84 post-training surveys and 50 post-application surveys to evaluate participants’ experiences and perceptions of impact-based assessment.

Beyond researcher training, the pilot generated important institutional outcomes. Throughout the project, ARSI engaged with the Italian Ministry of Health to discuss how impact-based assessment could be integrated into existing research support and evaluation processes. Discussions also explored opportunities to strengthen research management systems, grant application procedures, and, ultimately, research funding processes.

“The project demonstrated that impact-based assessment is both feasible and valuable within the Italian healthcare research system. By applying the TSBM framework across multiple IRCCS, the project showed that researchers can systematically plan, document, and demonstrate the real-world benefits of their work. Looking ahead, this work offers a practical model for scaling up an integrated approach that aligns research funders, research institutions, and research teams through the planning, assessment, and demonstration of research impact.”

— Valeria Elisa Contarino, National Project Coordinator

By demonstrating the feasibility of the TSBM framework for planning and assessing the real-world impact within the Italian healthcare research system, the project provides a practical example of how responsible research assessment can move beyond publication-based metrics to capture the broader benefits of translational science. The experience also highlights the potential of integrated impact assessment approaches that support researchers, institutions, and funders in advancing research with measurable benefits for patients, healthcare systems, and society.