Quantifying and evaluating research in paramedicine : why our own field of research code matters

On 1 June 2020, the Australian Research Council (ARC) released the outcomes of the recent review of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC). In what constitutes a significant milestone for paramedicine in Australia and New Zealand, we have been allocated our own paramedicine ‘Field of Research’ (FOR) code for the first time. So, what is a FOR code and why is getting our own of such significance? The ANZSRC allows measurement and analysis of research and experimental development undertaken in Australia and New Zealand. These data have a wide range of applications in government, industry and tertiary sectors, nationally and internationally. A prominent example is the ARC’s Excellence In Research (ERA) research evaluation framework. ERA uses the ANZSRC to identify excellence in research by comparing Australia’s university research effort against international benchmarks, identifying emerging research areas and opportunities for further development, and creating incentives to improve Australian research quality. ANZSRC-informed frameworks such as ERA therefore impact on research grant funding availability and prioritisation, which of course is critical to the conduct of quality research capable of achieving meaningful impact. For universities, ANZSRC data allows evaluation of institutional performance in relation to their strategic research priorities, links to external research funding income success, and facilitates prioritisation and allocation of that funding.