The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)

The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine is committed to supporting excellent, innovative biomedical research and recognising the full range of contributions made by researchers. We value research quality, originality and potential impact over narrow quantitative metrics.

The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) is a global initiative that promotes responsible approaches to research evaluation, moving beyond an over-reliance on journal-based metrics such as Impact Factors. Further information is available here.

The Institute became a DORA signatory in 2024, reflecting our commitment to fair and responsible research assessment aligned with our funding approach, supporting individuals and ideas, rather than relying on publication metrics alone.

In practice, we emphasise expert peer review, the intrinsic merit of research proposals, and the wider contributions of applicants, including collaboration, leadership and future potential. Our processes are kept under review to ensure they remain aligned with DORA principles while remaining proportionate to the size and scope of the Institute.

Animals in Research

The Lister Institute is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and supports their AMRC Position Statement on the use of animals in research.

Patient and Public Involvement

The Lister Institute is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and supports their position statement on the importance of public and patient involvement in medical research.

The full statement can be found here - AMRC Position Statement.

NIHR RDN Non-commercial Partner

The Lister Institute is an NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) Non-Commercial Partner. This means that studies we fund may be eligible to access the NIHR Study Support Service.

The NIHR Research Delivery Network supports researchers and the life sciences industry to plan, place and deliver high-quality research to agreed timelines and recruitment targets, for the benefit of patients and the public across the NHS, public health and social care system.

Applicants are encouraged to engage with their Regional Research Delivery Network and local R&D office as early as possible when planning a study, to ensure they can fully benefit from the support available.

Further information is available via the NIHR Study Support Service webpage.

COVID-19 Cross funder statement 

The Lister Institute is a signatory to the cross-funder statement on COVID-19. We recognise the ongoing impact of the pandemic on research activity and outputs.

Disruptions due to COVID-19 are taken into account by our panels and committees when assessing applicants’ track records, research achievements and career progression.

The full statement can be found here.